On October 3rd, the Global Industry Alliance (GIA) for Marine Biosafety convened for its third of four meetings in 2024 to discuss the Alliance's ongoing work and forthcoming governance changes.
The primary objective of the Global Industry Alliance is to support two critical International Maritime Organization (IMO) environmental goals through enhanced biofouling management: the protection of marine biodiversity and the decarbonization of shipping. Members play a pivotal role in identifying industry gaps and commissioning research, studies, and awareness-raising initiatives that benefit both the biofouling and broader maritime sectors.
Progress of ongoing activities, such as the development of a documentary on invasive species, impacts and solutions, were assessed, and all is on track track for the release of the film at the upcoming 3rd GloFouling R&D Forum (4 to 8 November at the Westin Josun Hotel in Busan, Republic of Korea).
In addition to reviewing the progress of on-going activities, the Alliance agreed on new potential projects that could be implemented in the future. In this regard, members were introduced to new opportunities for awareness-raising activities through an augmented reality simulation tool developed by ITOPF, showcasing oil spill prevention and mitigation techniques.
As part of the 3rd GloFouling R&D Forum, an informal GIA Task Force meeting will be held on November 5th. For a formal meeting, members agreed to reconvene for a formal meeting in spring 2025 (date TBC) at IMO Headquarters.
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