Members of the Global Industry Alliance (GIA) for Marine Biosafety met on 28th February 2023 for their 10th meeting to discuss the activities in progress and planning/approval of the upcoming ones, together with welcoming the new member - Hempel, who joined just a few days prior.
As part of their programme of work for 2023 the group has approved the production of a long-audio-visual feature, which will focus on showcasing the environmental and economic impacts of invasive aquatic species in local communities and countries at large. It will be a half an hour production with aim to help raising awareness on one of the biggest threats for marine biodiversity loss.
The GIA members have also approved to commission a study to understand how biofouling cleaning waste may affect the ambient water. The research will be identifying any changes to water quality as a result of an in-water cleaning event.
The GIA was established to support two key International Maritime Organization (IMO) pressing environmental objectives via improved biofouling management: protect marine biodiversity and decarbonize shipping under the GloFouling Partnerships project. The project is an initiative part of the wider efforts undertaken by IMO, in collaboration with the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Development Programme, to protect biodiversity and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The project fosters an intervention at multiple levels: driving legal, policy and institutional reforms in countries to implement the IMO Biofouling Guidelines; developing capacity to enact a national policy; and bringing in active private sector participation to identify effective solutions and technologies to deal with biofouling.
The GIA has also recently released a short animation showcasing the findings of the study “Analysing the Impact of Marine Biofouling on the Energy Efficiency of Ships and the GHG Abatement Potential of Biofouling Management Measures”. The report has shown that keeping ships’ hulls free from just a thin layer of slime could reduce a ship’s GHG emissions by up to 25 per cent. The animation was also now translated into Chinese, French, Korean and Spanish languages, of which the subtitles were added to reach a wider audience. The translation into Arabic will be coming soon. To access all, see videos via this link: https://www.glofouling.imo.org/awareness-menu
During the 10th GIA meeting the group welcomed Hempel – hull performance solutions provider, whose representative had the opportunity to introduce its work and added value to the team. Alexander Enström, Executive Vice President and Head of Marine at Hempel mentioned how “pleased we are to be joining the Global Industry Alliance (GIA) for Marine Biosafety. We believe that strong collaboration between all stakeholders - governments, NGOs and the maritime industry - is needed to identify challenges and accelerate solutions to decarbonise the maritime industry and protect marine environments. As a provider of hull performance solutions that can help prevent the build-up of invasive species on hulls as well as reduce the fuel usage and carbon emissions of ships, we look forward to taking part in this collaboration.”
The next GIA meeting is due to be held on 27th April 2023 as a full day in-person meeting and workshop, during the 10th session of Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 10) plenary meeting held at IMO.
About Hempel: As coating solutions supplier, Hempel is a global company working with customers in the decorative, marine, infrastructure and energy industries. Hempel factories, R&D centres and stock points are established in every region. It was established in Denmark in 1915 and today employs people across the globe. It’s headquartered in Kongens Lyngby, near Copenhagen, Denmark.
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