Commercial vessels

All vessels entering Australian waters, regardless of their size or frequency of visits, pose a biofouling risk to Australia’s marine biosecurity.

This factsheet provides an overview of the biofouling risk posed by the commercial vessel sector and information on how this risk can be minimised.

Commercial vessels make up the majority of the average 12,500 annual international arrivals into Australian ports.

Typical vessel types in this sector include: tankers, bulk and general cargo carriers, passenger cruise ships and container vessels. [See a more comprehensive list of commerical vessels.]

Why are commercial vessels a biofouling risk?

All vessels entering Australian waters carry marine species that have attached to vessel surfaces as biofouling. Some of these species have the potential to survive the voyage, establish viable populations and become invasive pests. The likelihood of a biofouling species of concern arriving in Australia in this way increases with the number of overseas ports visited and the length of time the vessel spends in each port. It is further influenced by factors such as the type and age of the antifouling coating and the time since the last drydocking.

As a sector, commercial vessels pose a biofouling risk to Australia because of the high volume of arriving vessels that have travelled through multiple bioregions and visited many ports, even though the port stays may be short.

Although commercial vessels typically travel at relatively high operating speeds, which tend to minimise the build-up of biofouling, they do have a range of niche areas such as rudder hinges, propellers, sea chests, bilges, bow thrusters and internal pipes that are either not coated with antifouling, the antifouling degrades quickly, or they are areas that are protected from the drag of the vessel moving through the water. These areas are highly prone to biofouling.

Managing the risk

The accumulation of biofouling on vessels can affect travelling speeds, reduce efficiency and increase fuel consumption.

Furthermore, the build-up of biofouling in seawater intakes and pipework can impact critical equipment such as engines and ancillary systems, including air conditioning systems, refrigeration systems and fire fighting pumps, all of which are essential for the safe and efficient operation of a vessel.

As a result, many commercial vessels already have systems in place to reduce biofouling through regular and well-targeted application of antifouling coatings on exposed hull surfaces and other vessel hygiene practices such as treatment of internal seawater systems.

Continued vigilance in biofouling reduction practices, with particular attention to niche areas, will both improve the perational efficiency of vessels and help to protect Australia’s marine environment and industry.

Below are some actions that can help manage the biofouling risk posed by commercial vessels:

• assess the biofouling risk of the vessel prior to departing for Australia and take remedial action as necessary
• undertake regular inspections of areas most prone to biofouling, such as niche areas [see diagram below]. High-risk areas for biofouling include rudder hinges, propellers, sea chests, bilge keels and bow thrusters
• implement a regular schedule for maintenance and dry docking
• apply antifouling coatings best suited to the operating profile of the vessel, noting that niche areas may require specific coating systems
• re-apply antifouling coatings well within the life-span specified by the manufacturer, paying particular attention to coverage of docking strips, niche areas and inside pipe openings and accessible internal areas
• regularly ensure marine growth prevention systems (MGPS) are operating efficiently and effectively. In the absence of a MGPS, ensure that other treatment options for internal seawater systems, such as manual dosing with chemicals or hot water, are undertaken regularly and effectively.

For more information on how to reduce the biofouling risks on commercial vessels, refer to the publication National biofouling management guidelines for commercial vessels or email IMS Program.

Niche areas on a commercial vessel where biofouling can accumulate.

Internal pipe image courtesy of John Lewis, ES Link Services

Commercial Vessels include:

• Asphalt tanker
• Bulk carrier
• Bulk carrier with container capacity
• Bulk cement carrier
• Bulk ore carrier
• Bunkering tanker
• Chemical tanker
• Combined bulk and oil tanker
• Combined chemical and oil tanker
• Combined LNG and LPG gas carrier
• Combined ore and oil carrier
• Crude oil tanker
• Fully cellular containership
• General cargo
• General cargo with container capacity
• Liquid natural gas carrier
• Liquid petroleum gas carrier
• Livestock
• Passenger (cruise)
• Passenger roll on/roll off
• Reefer
• Roll-on/roll-off
• Roll-on/roll-off with container capacity
• Tanker (unspecified)
• Vehicle carrier
• Wood-chip carrier