California biofouling rules to test vessel management

摘要

A regulation requiring vessels arriving at Californian ports to manage ship-hull biofouling could become an administrative challenge for certain shipowners. The new regulation, 'Biofouling Management Regulations to Minimize the Transport of Nonindigenous Species from Vessels Arriving at California Ports', which takes effect on 1 October, codifies procedures that many shipowners are already performing voluntarily - primarily as a means of allowing their ships to run more efficiently and burn less fuel.