Shipping sustainability : a study on hull cleaning approach to manage ship biofouling (regulatory bodies’ perspective)

Abstract

The shipping industry is the backbone of the global economy. Trades, whether global or regional, relies greatly on shipping. Shipping is heavily responsible for much of the transportation. With the increasing global demand for goods and services and the advancements of technology, seaborne trade expanded significantly throughout the years. However, the increasing shipping activities have resulted in negative impacts on the marine environment. The transferring of invasive aquatic species through biofouling has become an increasing concern in recent years. This paper will be focusing on the regulatory perspective and aims to analyze the effectiveness and the challenges faced with regard to the use of the hull cleaning approach to minimize the transfer of invasive aquatic species. The findings from this study will determine if hull cleaning would be an effective and feasible approach for the industry and whether it will bring the shipping industry towards sustainability. This paper will be focusing on the perspective of regulatory bodies and aims to provide an in-depth analysis on the use of the hull cleaning approach to minimize the transfer of invasive aquatic species. The findings from this study aim to determine the effectiveness of using the hull cleaning approach to achieve shipping sustainability. Hence, the insights from this research (from the perspective of regulatory bodies) will help the shipping industry to decide on the feasibility of using the hull cleaning approach to tackle biofouling issues. The study on the challenges faced by the regulatory bodies was concluded with the hull cleaning approach not effective and feasible for the industry as it is still in the early phase in the development of the framework. However, it is nonetheless still an important approach for the industry to achieve shipping sustainability. Therefore, recommendations were suggested in the report to overcome the challenges faced.