GloFouling Partnerships team is sending you all the best wishes during these stressful times! Even though we have been all in lock-down since March, the project coordination unit has been very busy and has a lot to share. Enjoy the read!

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National Activities

Due to the current travel restrictions, Ecuador and Peru`s national workshops and national task force meetings planned for March were postponed. However, The Dirección Nacional de los Espacios Acuáticos (DIRNEA) of Ecuador, The Dirección General de Capitanías y Guardacostas (DICAPI) and the Instituto del Mar del Perú (IMARPE) of Peru, have adapted to the new circumstances organizing the meetings virtually with great success. These meetings kick started their participation in the Project and finalised the round of first meetings in all twelve Lead Partnering Countries (LPCs).

To read more about their success click on the images. 

Global Industry Alliance (GIA) for Marine Biosafety

In June 2020, the Global Industry Alliance (GIA) for Marine Biosafety was officially inaugurated. This GIA is a partnership of leaders from private sector companies representing industries affected by biofouling such as in-water cleaning service providers, technology developers,shipping, aquaculture, offshore oil & gas and ocean renewable energies. These maritime champions are working together with IMO’s GloFouling Partnerships project to leverage human, technological and financial resources; facilitate industry input into policy developments and a positive pull for reform processes; and the development and dissemination of technological solutions to improve biofouling management.

More information and how to join >

For a more comprehensive introduction to the GIA watch the recordings of the webinars (click on the images below).

GESAMP WG 44

We are pleased to confirm that the chair of the GESAMP WG 44* to address biofouling management was elected. Dr. Katja Broeg will be chairing the GESAMP WG 44 meetings and will provide the direction on the scope of work, objectives and outputs.

The working group will support the mandates and programmes of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the GloFouling Partnerships project, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) and other agencies dealing with marine biofouling, with an emphasis on its role as a vector of the transfer of invasive aquatic species.

We wish Dr. Broeg all the best success in this new role!

*Working Group 44 of the Joint Group of experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP)

Strategic Partners

Strategic partnership is open to international organizations and institutions, developed countries, international industry associations, research centres, universities and international NGOs that are willing to provide input, technical and scientific expertise and to support project activities, participate in R&D forums, expert workshops and other meetings. 

Since March three new Strategic Partners have joined the project:

• Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT);
• Biofouling Solutions; and
• Marine Research Institute of Klaipeda University.

See the full list of the strategic partners >

E-mail us to if you wish to join too. 

Future webinars

Past webinars

All past webinars are available on demand, click on each topic to learn more about the webinar and watch the recording:

• Vessel-Check: an aquatic biosecurity risk assessment tool

• Managing corrosion and biofouling of the offshore monopile supports for wind turbines

• Lessons learned through implementing and enforcing California’s biofouling management regulations (also available in Spanish - below)

• Normativa para la gestión de bioincrustaciones marinas. La experiencia del Estado de California (also available in English - above)

• Monitoring biofouling in the offshore renewable energy industry

• The role of biofouling in recreational sailing, yachting and marinas as a pathway for non-indigenous species

• Impacts of biofouling in marine aquaculture

Do you have a query? Not a problem!

E-mail us at: glofouling@imo.org

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