10%

Searching for ocean solutions with the private sector

GEF-UNDP/IMO GloFouling Partnerships Project

By IW:LEARN

June 7^th, 2020

All societies depend on biodiversity and biological resources for their sustainable economic and social development, although their value is not always explicit. The private sector actively uses our seas or relies on its natural resources directly, so it is important to steer corporate efforts to help address environmental responsibilities and protect natural capital. This is particularly important when development pressures are leading to an unprecedented rate of biodiversity loss in our seas.

As a leading example for channeling participation of the private sector, the GloFouling Partnerships project has recently launched the Global Industry Alliance (GIA) for Marine Biosafety. This new association of leaders from private sector companies brings together industries affected by biofouling such as shipping, aquaculture, offshore oil and gas, and ocean renewable energies.

Biofouling is the build-up of aquatic organisms on underwater surfaces of marine infrastructure such as ships, platforms and aquaculture installations. It is responsible for introducing potentially invasive aquatic species to new environments. These marine bioinvasions are the source of important environmental and socio-economic impacts. And unlike other marine environment issues such as pollution, overfishing and habitat loss, which can often be reversed, once invasive species become established in a new ecosystem, they are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to eradicate.

Additionally, biofouling reduces substantially the operational energy efficiency of ships - by as much as 10-20% - leading to increases in greenhouse gas emissions. So biofouling solutions can represent a significant environmental benefit that will play an important part in climate change mitigation.

The aim of the maritime champions joining the GIA is to work together with GloFouling Partnerships to leverage human, technological and financial resources; facilitate industry input into policy development and a positive pull for reform processes; and develop and disseminate technological solutions to improve biofouling management.

“Innovation processes managed in isolation are quite limited. In contrast, it has long been established that collaborative innovation initiatives tend to be more successful and attractive because partners receive significant value for limited investment” mentioned Lilia Khodjet El Khil, Project Technical Manager for GloFouling Partnerships. “This is why we considered essential having private sector participation in the work of the project. We are truly satisfied that industry has confirmed its strong willingness to participate with their expertise and explore creative solutions”.

Fanworms under ship hull. Photo Credit: BFS

Financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and supported by UNDP, the International Maritime Organization (IMO)-executed GloFouling Partnerships project focuses on assisting developing countries to tackle the environmental issue represented by biofouling and invasive aquatic species. But as the first-ever globally coordinated effort to address biofouling from all maritime sectors, the project also aims at steering the ocean community to provide solutions in the form of best practices and technologies that can help tackle the issue in a concerted manner.

Simon Doran, representing HullWiper, a company joining the GIA, pointed out that “This ground-breaking agreement with other private sector stakeholders is an opportunity to accelerate the development of solutions that can improve how marine biofouling is managed”.

The new alliance is a platform to unite very different maritime industries to contribute towards two key environmental issues affecting our planet - protecting marine biodiversity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“It gives us the chance to work together and address common problems that are best tackled in a united and holistic approach, especially when we share the same spaces along our coasts” - Tor Østervold from ECOsubsea.

Developing countries stand to benefit from GIA outputs. Photo credit: J. Alonso

The GIA will help members to partner with the scientific community and governmental organizations, in addressing a number of biofouling-related barriers. Darren Rowlands, from NRG Marine Sonihull highlighted that,

“since aquatic invasive species carried by biofouling were identified as a major threat to the world’s marine ecosystems, effective biofouling management has been a hot topic of discussion among the global shipping industry and scientific community for several years”.

Salmon in aquaculture can be damaged by biofouling species. Photo credit: Norsk Havbrukssenter (Flickr)

Technology solutions for biofouling. Photo Credits: Clockwise from top left CleanSubSea, NRG Marine, ECOsubsea, HullWiper

The private sector has recognized the benefit of joining the GIA as both a way of making its voice heard and to learn how it can share practical and technical expertise that would be necessary to improve biofouling management. In addition, developing countries participating in the GloFouling project will benefit from first-hand exposure and capacity building activities associated to GIA initiatives.

“As a member of the GIA we perceive its added value for introducing and analysing the performance of new technologies and practices that can benefit us all, so we are looking forward to be joined by other industry champions in this innovative public-private partnership”, mentioned Rory Anderson, from CleanSubSea.

The GIA will be associated to numerous development benefits across multiple SDGs, not only under SDG 14, but as well by taking action to combat climate change (SDG 13) and specific opportunities for North-South and triangular cooperation at the public and private sector levels (SDG 17).

For more information on the GloFouling Partnerships Project please contact the Project Technical Manager, Lilia Khodjet El Khil (Glofouling@imo.org), and visit the project website as well as the project page on iwlearn.net.