Notification Detail | TRIS - European Commission

Proposed Regulations of on the management of hull biofouling

Notification Number:

2025/9011/NO (Norway)

Date received:

11/06/2025

End of Standstill:

12/09/2025

Draft Text:

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

Impact assessment:

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Message

Message 901

Communication from the Commission - TRIS/(2025) 1518

Procedure for the provision of information EC - EFTA

Notification: 2025/9011/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: 20251518.EN

1. MSG 901 IND 2025 9011 NO EN 11-06-2025 NO NOTIF

2. Norway

3A. The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry

3B. Norwegian Maritime Authority

4. 2025/9011/NO - T20T - Sea and river and navigation on inland waterways

5. Proposed Regulations of on the management of hull biofouling

6. The regulations apply to Norwegian ships and mobile installations. With the limitations resulting from international law, the regulations also apply to foreign ships and mobile installations located in Norwegian territorial waters, including off Svalbard

7.

8. The proposed regulations have a broad scope and apply to the management of fouling on hulls for both Norwegian and foreign ships and mobile offshore units located in Norway's territorial waters, including at Svalbard and Jan Mayen. For vessels that only operate domestically, and not outside the economic zone, not all provisions of the regulations will apply.

The main rule requires that ships and mobile offshore units arriving in Norwegian territorial waters from locations outside the Norwegian economic zone shall not have macrofouling on their hulls. The same requirement applies when these are in Norwegian territorial waters. The aim of the proposal is to reduce the level of fouling that is permitted when ships and mobile units arrive in Norwegian territorial waters. The requirement for reduced fouling permits microfouling upon arrival and operation in Norwegian territorial waters.

The proposed regulations thus set a limit on how much fouling hulls entering Norwegian territorial waters may contain. If a hull has macrofouling upon arrival, it must be cleaned. The regulations only require cleaning when there is macrofouling on the hull. If there is only microfouling, the ship or unit is free to choose how this should be handled. In such cases, the requirements of the regulations do not apply.

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 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. This makes it challenging to set absolute requirements for how hulls should be cleaned so that the environment is protected in the best possible way.

Despite the challenges associated with regulating fouling, there is a clear need for a regulatory framework to deal with fouling on the hulls of ships and mobile offshore units. As of today, we have no regulations that specifically target the prevention of the spread of alien species from international waters. Norway therefore need a concrete regulatory framework that can help prevent the introduction and spread of alien species to 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

Disclosed messages

message-id	Year	Number	Country	Type	Title	Date received	Is answer to
112046	2025	1519	COMEuropean Commission	903	Receipt of the draft text	11-06-2025
112047	2025	1520	COMEuropean Commission	037	Competitiveness analysis	11-06-2025

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