BIOFOULING: As part of the 2023 allocation letter, which was continued in the 2024 allocation letter, the Ministry of Climate and Environment (MCE) tasked the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) with preparing and circulating new legislation on hull biofouling, aiming for adoption by June 2024.
In line with this task, the draft Regulations on the management of hull biofouling was circulated for review between 12 March and 6 June 2024. The NMA received a total of 39 consultative comments.
In the consultation letter accompanying the draft Regulations, the NMA requested specific feedback on several issues, including hull cleaning methods and available technologies. This was due to the fact that there were parts of the draft Regulations that needed further clarification.
Reassessment needed
During the consultation period, the NMA received a lot of information that will be useful in our future work on the Regulations.
Considering the significant number of consultative statements and their content, the NMA has realised that adopting these Regulations by June 2024, as tasked by the MCE, will not be possible. We will now carry out a reassessment of the draft Regulations.
A more detailed plan for the continued progress in the work on the Regulations on the management of hull biofouling will be submitted to the MCE during the fall of 2024.