The Trojan seahorse: neglecting biofouling management of vessel niche areas

Biofouling has detrimental impacts on vessel operations, greenhouse gas emissions, and marine environmental, economic, social, and cultural values through the spread of non-indigenous species. The biosecurity impacts of vessel biofouling have led to regulations across multiple jurisdictions and a global push for mandatory requirements through the International Maritime Organization. In-water cleaning to remove or prevent macrofouling may represent a rare win-win solution for both the shipping industry and the environment. However, at present, the focus is primarily limited to the planar surfaces of vessel hulls, which have the largest direct impact on ship efficiency. Given the substantial contribution of niche areas to vessel biosecurity risk, and their importance to ship operations in general, further emphasis on biofouling prevention and reactive management of these areas is required.