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COP 26: Biofouling management’s important contribution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships featured successfully

GEF-UNDP-IMO GloFouling Partnerships Project

By IW:LEARN

December 9^th, 2021

The GEF-UNDP-IMO GloFouling Partnerships project, part of the GEF International Waters portfolio, had a remarkable impact at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26), in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

The Project hosted a side event as part of the official UNFCCC programme that took place on 4 November 2021.

Organized in collaboration with BIMCO, the side event 'Managing Biofouling – A Win-Win Solution to Help Curb Climate Change and Preserve Ocean Biodiversity' showcased the full potential of ship’s biofouling management to curb Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.

Preliminary results of the latest study commissioned by the GloFouling Partnerships Global Industry Alliance (GIA), released during the event, clearly showed the importance of good biofouling management. The study is being led by Dr Yigit Demirel, from the University of Strathclyde.

Dr.Yigit Demirel. Photo credit: GloFouling Partnerships

Biofouling on ships’ hulls leads to higher fuel consumption and more greenhouse gases emitted. The build-up of microbes, plants, algae, or small animals, known as biofouling, is known to enhance the roughness of the colonized surface. The increased roughness of those surfaces, which compose the underwater parts of a ship's hull, will increase the ship's hydrodynamic drag, and therefore increase the fuel usage, which emits greenhouse gases.

High pressure washing of a ship. Photo credit: Tawansak/ Shutterstock

In his opening remarks, the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Mr. Kitack Lim, highlighted “Managing ships’ biofouling is an important short term operational measure that can significantly contribute to reducing GHG emissions from ships. Shipping and other maritime industries, together and in partnership with IMO and its GloFouling Project, can play a critical role in protecting the marine environment and in achieving global energy efficiency goals”.

Several stakeholder panelists representing IMO, BIMCO, UNDP, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the GloFouling Partnerships project and its Global Industry Alliance (GIA) discussed how biofouling management can contribute to the achievements of IMO’s GHG Strategy targets.

Tonga, participating as one of the beneficiary countries of the GloFouling Partnerships project, underlined that climate change and invasive species will impact the Kingdom as an island nation. Tonga High Commissioner Ms. Tu'ivakano, commented, “Biofouling management which both improves ship efficiency and consequently reduces emissions, and prevents the spread of invasive species, is a win-win for Tonga”.

High Commissioner of Tonga, Ms. Tu'ivakano. Photo credit: Glofouling Partnerships

Biofouling and impact on GHG emissions infographic. Image credit: GloFouling Partnerships

Encouraging preliminary results unveiled

The "Report on the Impact of Ships' Biofouling on Greenhouse Gas Emissions" illustrates how the perceived impact of biofouling is likely to have been historically underestimated by the shipping community. According to the truly revealing numbers, a thin coating of 0.5 mm slime covering up to 50% of a hull surface can trigger an increase of GHG emissions in the range of 20 to 25%, subject to ship’s characteristics, speed and other variables. In another example explained by the lead author, Dr. Yigit Demirel, a light covering of small calcareous growth (barnacles) can result in a 55% increase in GHG emissions.

Lilia Khodjet El Khil, IMO Project Technical Manager for GloFouling Partnerships stated, "Stakeholders can take a number of complementary actions to reduce GHG emissions from shipping. Using alternative fuels or technology to curb emissions can help meet the 2050 targets for the industry, but in the short-term, biofouling management is an essential part of the roadmap to a decarbonized future."

The final version of the report will also feature newly developed research focused on analyzing the effect of currently available industry practices for biofouling management, such as the importance of selecting the most appropriate fouling control coating, hull cleaning, propeller polishing and the use of ultrasonic antifouling systems.

Dr. Bev Mackenzie representing BIMCO, stated “The shipowners take biofouling very seriously, 80% of the respondents in the recent survey conducted by BIMCO showed that shipowners are already applying the IMO Biofouling guidelines to address the issue of decreasing the accumulations of invasive species and improving the performance of ships, therefore investing in good antifouling systems will make a massive impact as we move forward”.

Industry contribution

The report is commissioned by the GIA for Marine Biosafety, a group of committed private sector companies representing the ocean-based industries to identify solutions that can help improve biofouling management, protect marine biodiversity and decarbonize shipping.

The main purpose of the report is to address the poor understanding amongst the shipping industry of the relationship between ships’ biofouling with fuel consumption and resulting GHG emissions.

On screen, Mr. Darren Jones of GIA. Photo credit: GloFouling Partnerships

On screen, Mr. Andrew Hudson of UNDP. Photo credit: GloFouling Partnerships

Mr. Darren Jones representing GIA referenced the motivation and importance of launching this specific study. He stated “If we can raise the profile of biofouling beyond invasive species and bringing it here to COP26 to show the impact the biofouling has on CO2 emission, it is going to be a game changer. We need the ports, operators, regulators to look at the science shown in this study behind the fouling and seize the opportunity to make a difference by adopting the short-term measures now, in order to improve biofouling management and save investment”.

Participation and contribution of industry in global technical cooperation projects is crucial. Mr. Andrew Hudson from UNDP expressed the value of IMO-UNDP projects and their GIAs and how they contribute to the global efforts to tackle GHG emissions from shipping. In his remarks Mr. Hudson emphasized “The UNDP in partnerships with the IMO through GEF-UNDP-IMO GloMEEP (now Green Voyage2050) and GloFouling Partnerships projects have supported governments to design, implement and reinforce policies and regulations that can catalyze sizable flows of private capital. In this case, looking at existing industry practices on biofouling management can help to identify some of the most technically cost-effective approaches that can be replicated, scaled up and further optimized”.

Visit to the Kelvin Hydrodynamics Laboratory

The side event ended with the visit to the Kelvin Hydrodynamics Laboratory at the University of Strathclyde. Participants had the opportunity to understand better how researchers investigate dynamics of roughness and resistance of ships’ hulls, which is an important topic when it comes to energy efficiency of ships.

Kelvin Hydrodynamics Laboratory field visit. Photo credit: GloFouling Partnerships

Kelvin Hydrodynamics Laboratory field visit. Photo credit: Glofouling Partnerships

To view the live stream of the event, watch the YouTube video below:

About the GloFouling Partnerships Project

The GloFouling Partnerships is a collaboration between the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO aimed at protecting marine biodiversity by steering national policies that address how biofouling is managed with a view to prevent incursions of invasive aquatic species.

For more information kindly contact the Project Technical Manager, Lilia Khodjet El Khil (glofouling@imo.org), visit the project website and the dedicated project page on iwlearn.net.

Footnotes

Cover photo credit: Chris Pagan/Unsplash

FootNotes

Cover photo credit: Chris Pagan/Unsplash

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