scope:

General (1 August 2019)

IMO Resolution MEPC.207(62) contains Guidelines that recommend every ship have a Biofouling Management Plan and a Biofouling Record Book onboard. In and of themselves, these Guidelines are not mandatory. However, regular reference should be made to the latest requirements of individual States to determine the scope of implementation to ships entitled to fly the flag of that State, and to ships operating in their jurisdictional waters.

A biofouling management plan and biofouling record book may be either a standalone document, or integrated in part or fully into the vessel's existing operational and procedural manuals and/or planned maintenance system. The biofouling management plan is to be vessel-specific and is to provide a description of the biofouling management strategy for the vessel with sufficient details to allow the vessel's Master, the designated ship's officer, or crew members to understand and implement the biofouling management strategy.

The IMO MEPC agreed to keep the Guidelines of MEPC.207(62) under review in order to evaluate experience gained from their implementation including, their effectiveness on influencing biofouling management practices. Relevant guidance was issued by IMO MEPC.1/Circ.811 to assist Member States and observers in collecting the information needed to undertake future reviews in a consistent manner.

The contents of these Guidance Notes are mainly based on IMO Resolution MEPC.207(62) "2011 Guidelines for the Control and Management of Ship's Biofouling to Minimize the Transfer of Invasive Aquatic Species".

This document has been provided to assist in the development of a vessel's Biofouling Management Plan.

Biofouling Management Plan (1 August 2019)

The Biofouling Management Plan should be specific to each vessel and be included in the vessel's operational documentation. Such a plan should address, at a minimum, the following:

i) Relevant parts of IMO Resolution MEPC.207(62) "2011 Guidelines for the Control and Management of Ship's Biofouling to Minimize the Transfer of Invasive Aquatic Species"

ii) Details of the anti-fouling systems and operational practices or treatments used, including those for niche areas

iii) Hull locations susceptible to biofouling, schedule of planned inspections, repairs, maintenance, and renewal of anti-fouling systems

iv) Details of the recommended operating conditions suitable for the chosen anti-fouling systems and operational practices

v) Details relevant for the safety of the crew, including details on the anti-fouling system(s) used

vi) Details of the documentation required to verify any treatments recorded in the biofouling record book as outlined in Appendix 1, Chapter 2

The biofouling management plan should be updated as necessary.

Biofouling Record Book (1 August 2019)

The biofouling record book is recommended to be maintained for each vessel to record details of all inspections and biofouling management measures undertaken on the vessel. This is to assist the shipowner and operator to evaluate the efficacy of the specific anti-fouling systems and operational practices on the vessel in particular, and of the biofouling management plan in general. The record book could also assist interested State authorities to quickly and efficiently assess the potential biofouling risk of the vessel, and thus minimize delays to ship operations.

The biofouling record book is recommended to be retained on the vessel for the life of the vessel.

Information that should be recorded in a biofouling record book should include the following:

i) Details of the anti-fouling systems and operational practices used (where appropriate as recorded in the Anti-fouling System Certificate), where and when installed, areas of the ship coated, its maintenance and, where applicable, its operation

ii) Dates and location of drydockings/slippings, including the date the ship was re-floated, and any measures taken to remove biofouling or to renew or repair the anti-fouling system

iii) Date and location of in-water inspections, the results of that inspection and any corrective action taken to deal with observed biofouling

iv) Dates and details of inspection and maintenance of internal seawater cooling systems, the results of these inspections, and any corrective action taken to deal with observed biofouling and any reported blockages

v) Details of when the ship has been operating outside its normal operating profile including any details of when the ship was laid-up or inactive for extended periods of time

Biofouling Management Plan Template

A template of a vessel's Biofouling Management Plan, which may be modified to suit a specific vessel, is found in Appendix 1.