PERSGA GlOFOULING Project

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In recent decades, maritime transportation has become the backbone of commercial shipping operations and responsible over 90% of the world’s trade. The annual revenue for the various maritime shipping fleet operations reached over five hundred billion US dollars annually.

The steady increase of maritime shipping fleet operations required the construction of larger size of ships to make moving goods on these megaships faster, thus saving times and reducing the distances.

Unfortunately, in addition to transferring commodities between coastal regions, world shipping can also result in the transfer and introduction of aquatic organisms to new environments. This role of shipping as a pathway for the transfer of IAS is mainly related to two vectors: ballast water and hull biofouling
(Link to the main website of the GloFouling project).

further..

The Ballast water is water carried in ships’ ballast tanks to improve stability, balance and trim. It is taken up or discharged when cargo is unloaded or loaded, or when a ship needs extra stability in bad weather. When ships take on ballast water, plants and animals that live in the ocean are also picked up.
While ballast water is essential for safe and efficient modern shipping operations, it may pose serious problems due to the multitude of marine species carried in ships’ ballast water. To tackle this issue in addressing the transfer of invasive aquatic species (IAS) through shipping, The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) was adopted in 2004 and entered into force on 8 September 2017.

What is biofouling?

Biofouling is described as the undesirable accumulation of microorganisms, algae, plants and animals on submerged structures (especially ships’ hulls). The introduction and establishment of Invasive Aquatic Species (IAS) is considered to be one of the greatest threats to the world’s freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems. A multitude of marine species may survive to establish a reproductive population in the host environment, becoming invasive, out-competing native species and multiplying into pest proportions.

News for Glofouling

GloFouling Partnership Project Virtual meeting

GloFouling Partnership Project Virtual meeting

Mar 03 ,2024 2m Read
The GloFouling Partnership project PCU (Project coordination Unit) has convened a three hours virtual and extraordinary meeting using the WebEx …
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Online information webinar about the Global industry alliance (GIA)

Online information webinar about the Global industry alliance (GIA)

Feb 29 ,2024 2m Read
As part of the consistent implementation of the GloFouling partnership project, a ground-breaking Global Industry Alliance (GIA) has been launched …
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National workshop of the GEF-IMO-UNDP GloFouling Partnerships Project and National Task force meeting on Biofouling management and invasive aquatic species in Aqaba-Jordan

National workshop of the GEF-IMO-UNDP GloFouling Partnerships Project and National …

Feb 29 ,2024 2m Read
Under the framework of the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloFouling Partnerships project to tackle invasive aquatic species worldwide, in cooperation with the international Maritime Organization …
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The second meeting of the Global Project TaskForce (GPTF-2)

The second meeting of the Global Project TaskForce (GPTF-2)

Feb 29 ,2024 3m Read
The second meeting of the Global Project Task Force (GPTF-2) of the Global Environment Facility (GEF)/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/IMO …
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