Background: In June 2021, as part of the implementation of the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloFouling Partnerships project, a virtual regional Seminar on “Biofouling Management and Invasive Aquatic Species (IAS) “was held for PERSGA States to raise awareness on Biofouling and IAS and to understand the key aspects of the GloFouling Partnerships Project (‘Glofouling’), and the international regulatory framework to manage marine biofouling. As the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are critical to world shipping, and the region form part of the major
east west shipping route passing through the Suez Canal, which carries upwards of 10% of global seaborne trade every year, its environment can be, and is, affected by invasive aquatic species introduced via ship’s biofouling and Ballast Water discharged into the sea. In November 2021, to facilitate the development of regional strategies, PERSGA attended the virtual
roundtable for the Regional Coordinating organizations (RCOs) convened by the GloFouling Partnerships project to discuss a draft Regional Strategy Template and a generic document adopted for use by each region. The Template provides common key elements for a strategy addressing ship’s biofouling management.
The meeting: To lead this work, PERSGA organized in collaboration with IMO its first regional meeting to establish a Regional Task Force which discussed the and agree on a first draft Regional Strategy on biofouling management, during the period 22-23 March 2022 in Hurghada at
EMARSGA center.
13 delegates from Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen attended the meeting. The high level of active contribution by the delegates throughout the meeting was
remarkable, reflecting the strong interest in the region in improving the current situation with respect to marine pollution related to biofouling and invasive aquatic species. The two days meeting were led by PERSGA’s coordinator and by Dr Lilia Khodjet El Khil, Technical Project Manager for the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloFouling Partnerships Project. IMO was also represented at the meeting by Dr. Theofanis Karayannis, and Ernesta Swanepoel, IMO’s consultant, who facilitated the discussion, and both joined the meeting by teleconference. The opening ceremony was also attended by Adm Amr Azzat, Director of the Emergency Mutual Aid Center for Red Sea and Gulf of Aden EMARSGA administered by PERSGA.
During the Biofouling project presentations the delegates were informed about the GEF-UNDP-IMO Glofouling Partnership Project (‘Glofouling’) and on the potential impacts of Biofouling and invasive aquatic species on regional waters. The negative effects and high cost of the damage done in other parts of the world by invasive aquatic species were provided, potential solutions to problems caused by the transfer of the biofouling mediated invasive aquatic species around the world were presented with animated videos produced in Arabic.
It was pointed out that damage to a marine environment caused by the transfer of biofouling- mediated invasive species can be very difficult or impossible to reverse, that the costs of dealing with problems can be extremely high, and that the impact is likely to grow over time rather than diminish as the invasive species spread along a coastline. Furthermore, biofouling on ships’ hulls increases hull surface roughness, which in turn increases frictional resistance and ultimately increases fuel consumption and total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.
The terms of reference for the RTF and the draft regional strategy on Biofouling management were discussed and agreed by the delegates. These included the election of the Chair (Jordan) of the RTF for a 2 year term noting that this RTF will primarily serve as a mechanism to develop and update the regional strategy and its action plan and oversee its implementation. In addition, that the draft Regional strategy on Biofouling management for the PERSGA region provides an adequate basis for harmonized regional efforts to prevent the transfer of invasive aquatic species into marine environment.
At the end of the meeting, delegates were provided with USB flash disk containing the materials presented. Additional copies of USB flash disk containing information on Glofouling Project have also been distributed. The next steps in the region will be the endorsement of the draft strategy and its action plan, and the implementation of the first activities identified, followed by another meeting of the regional task force in 2023. Regional states and the participating countries look forward to seeing, early in 2023, the national status assessments being developed with IMO and PERSGA support, as this will enable them to draft their strategy on biofouling management at national levels. The meeting has provided insights on and encouragement to States to effectively implement the IMO Guidelines for the control and management of ship’s biofouling to minimize the transfer of invasive aquatic species (Biofouling guidelines).
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