Hull biofouling rules for California come into force

摘要

A regulation requiring vessels arriving at Californian ports to manage ship hull biofouling - when often unwanted organisms are transported to other areas attached to a ship's hull - was due to come into effect on 1 October 2017. The regulation, Biofouling Management Regulations to Minimize the Transport of Nonindigenous Species from Vessels Arriving at California Ports, codifies into US legal procedures that many shipowners are already performing voluntarily, primarily as a means of allowing their ships to run more efficiently and burn less fuel.