Australia – Mandatory Biofouling Management Requirements for International Vessels.
New requirements for managing biofouling on international vessels arriving in Australia will begin on 15 June 2022.
Operators of all
vessels subject to biosecurity control will be required to provide information
on how biofouling has been managed prior to arriving in Australian territorial
seas. This information will need to be reported through the department’s
Maritime Arrivals Reporting System (MARS).
The department will
use the information to target vessel interventions. This will allow more
efficient use of resources and statutory powers to assess and inspect vessels,
and more effective response to unacceptable biosecurity risks associated with
biofouling.
Vessel operators
will receive less intervention for biofouling if they comply with one of the
following three accepted biofouling management practices:
1.
Implementation of an effective biofouling management plan; or
2.
Cleaned all biofouling within 30 days prior to arriving in Australian
territory; or
3.
Implementation of an alternative biofouling management method pre-approved by
the department.
Further information
on the accepted biofouling management practices will be available on this page
soon. https://www.awe.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/aircraft-vessels-military/vessels/marine-pest-biosecurity/biofouling
A vessel operator
that has not applied one of the three accepted biofouling management practices
will be subject to further questions and assessment of the biosecurity risk
associated with biofouling on the vessel.
This new policy
approach was approved by the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia
and is consistent with the direction of the International Maritime
Organization’s 2011 Guidelines for the Control and Management of Ships’
biofouling to Minimize the Transfer of Invasive Aquatic Species. The policy is
also informed by the Review of National Marine Pest Biosecurity 2015 and the
Australian biofouling management requirements for international vessel arrivals
consultation regulation impact statement.
Timeframe for
implementing the new requirements : The department will phase the introduction
of new requirements. From 15 June 2022 to 15 December 2023 an education first
approach will be taken for the Australian biofouling management requirements.
However, powers under the Biosecurity Act 2015 will continue to be used to
manage unacceptable biosecurity risk associated with biofouling.
For any specific
questions, please contact our Australia head office:
https://benlineagencies.com/contact_category/brisbane/