Notification Detail | TRIS - European Commission

Regulations on the management of hull biofouling

Notification Number:

2024/9003/NO (Norway)

Date received:

13/03/2024

End of Standstill:

14/06/2024

Draft Text:

EN DA BG HR CS NL ET FI FR GA EL HU IT LV LT MT PL PT RO SK SL ES SV DE

Impact assessment:

EN FR DE

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Message

Message 901

Communication from the Commission - TRIS/(2024) 0695

Procedure for the provision of information EC - EFTA

Notification: 2024/9003/NO

Notification – Notification – Notifzierung – Нотификация – Oznámení – Notifikation – Γνωστοποίηση – Notificación – Teavitamine – Ilmoitus – Obavijest – Bejelentés – Notifica – Pranešimas – Paziņojums – Notifika – Kennisgeving – Zawiadomienie – Notificação – Notificare – Oznámenie – Obvestilo – Anmälan – Fógra a thabhairt

Does not open the delays - N'ouvre pas de délai - Kein Fristbeginn - Не се предвижда период на прекъсване - Nezahajuje prodlení - Fristerne indledes ikke - Καμμία έναρξη προθεσμίας - No abre el plazo - Viivituste perioodi ei avata - Määräaika ei ala tästä - Ne otvara razdoblje kašnjenja - Nem nyitja meg a késéseket - Non fa decorrere la mora - Atidėjimai nepradedami - Atlikšanas laikposms nesākas - Ma jiftaħx il-perijodi ta’ dewmien - Geen termijnbegin - Nie otwiera opóźnień - Não inicia o prazo - Nu deschide perioadele de stagnare - Nezačína oneskorenia - Ne uvaja zamud - Inleder ingen frist - Ní osclaíonn sé na moilleanna

MSG: 20240695.EN

1. MSG 901 IND 2024 9003 NO EN 13-03-2024 NO NOTIF

2. Norway

3A. Royal Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries
Department for Trade Policy
P.O. Box 8090 Dep
0032 Oslo
Norway

3B. Norwegian Maritime Authority
P.O. Box 2222
5509 Haugesund
Norway

4. 2024/9003/NO - T20T - Sea and river and navigation on inland waterways

5. Regulations on the management of hull biofouling

6. Norwegian and foreign ships and mobile offshore units

7.

8. The proposed regulation concerns the handling of biofouling on the hull of ships and mobile offshore units that are certified for international shipping and that enter Norwegian waters.

The purpose of the regulation is to prevent harmful alien species from coming to Norway via biofouling on hulls from international ship traffic, and to prevent the further spread of harmful alien species in Norwegian waters. Two provisions in the regulation shall apply to ships that only operate in domestic transport.

Amongst other things, the regulations require that the shipping companies have a system and a plan for handling biofouling in place, and that there is a requirement to log a biofouling record book. In addition, there are requirements for how the cleaning of hulls in water should take place in order to prevent the spread of harmful alien species to the greatest extent possible. There is also an opening for the Norwegian Maritime authority to order the removal of biofouling in certain cases.

The regulatory proposal is based on IMO's 2023 Biofouling Guidelines for the control and management of ships' biofouling to minimize the transfer of invasive aquatic species.

9. Biofouling on hulls has several negative consequences, and two of the most prominent consequences are the environmental and economic ones. Biofouling on hulls is an important introduction route for harmful alien species, and many alien species are already established in Norwegian waters today. The introduction of alien species into new environments has been identified as a major threat to the maintenance of biological diversity. Norway is acting to limit the harmful effects of environmental threats at sea.

It is challenging to map which harmful alien species have been introduced, and it is almost impossible to control the introduction of the species with a high potential for damage without also controlling the harmless species that come with them. In addition, it is often difficult to predict the extent of alien species' impact on our environment. This means that it is important to take a precautionary approach to the problem.

We also have limited knowledge of how effectively different methods for cleaning hulls in water prevent the spread of harmful alien species. As of today, there is no accepted international standardized method for handling the biofouling that accompanies the cleaning of hulls. These challenges make it complicated to regulate how hulls should be washed in order to adequately safeguard the environment. Based on the precautionary principle, the Norwegian Maritime Authority therefore considers it appropriate to regulate washing in water with a requirement for collection.

Today, various methods are being developed that can be used for in water cleaning, both with and without capture. This is also the reason why excemptions have been proposed to the regulation's main rule on cleaning with capture, and that an opening has been made for cleaning without capture if it can be documented that the method used prevents the spread of harmful alien species.

As of today, we have no regulations specifically aimed at preventing the spread of alien species from international waters and further internally in Norway. We therefore need concrete regulations that can actively prevent the importation and further spread of foreign species into Norway via hulls.

The NMA has considered if the DTR is in conflict with relevant community regulations, and we find no conflict. In accordance with Article 11 and 13 of the EEA Agreement, the NMA considers that the regulation is proportionate ensuring the desired level of environmental protection with the least restrictive means.

10. References of the Basic Texts: No Basic Text exists

11. No

12.

13. No

14. No

15. Yes

16.
TBT aspects: No

SPS aspects: No

**********
European Commission
Contact point Directive (EU) 2015/1535
email: grow-dir2015-1535-central@ec.europa.eu

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