A new standard on in-water cleaning of vessel hulls has been launched.
Preventing and removing biofouling on hulls of ships limits the introduction and spread of invasive aquatic species (IAS). This in turn threatens coastal environments by disrupting ecological systems, which can also negatively affect fisheries, aquaculture and tourism. Biofouling is also estimated to increase a ship’s fuel consumption by on average 9 % – this added fuel consumption costs the shipping industry billions of USD. Therefore, improving biofouling management across the global shipping fleet will have considerable benefits, both from an environmental and economic standpoint.
ISO 6319 provides requirements and best practices for planning, conducting and documenting in-water cleaning operations safely, efficiently and in an environmentally sound manner. It provides requirements and best practices for reporting on the effectiveness of IWC operations.
The standard addresses all forms of in-water cleaning of external submerged surfaces, which are hull and niche areas, all types and levels of biofouling, which means biofilms, microfouling and macrofouling, conducted both with or without capture. However, it does not address internal piping.
The document has been established to inform ports, regulatory agencies, ship biofouling IWC service providers, inspection service providers, IWC equipment manufacturers, coating manufacturers, shipowners, ship managers, ship operators and other relevant stakeholders.
In the making since 2022, members of the Bellona-led Clean Hull Initiative (CHI) drafted a proposal that was later approved for development within ISO.
Project leader of the ISO working group that developed ISO 6319, Dr. Irene Ø. Tvedten, Senior Advisor Maritime at The Bellona Foundation, said: “This new international standard covers in-water cleaning of ships’ hulls and sets out the documentation needed before and after cleaning. By providing a harmonised approach to documentation, it helps ports and authorities evaluate in-water cleaning applications more consistently while supporting environmentally responsible practices.”
Find out more: ISO 6319 – in-water cleaning of ships’ hulls