23 Apr 2024: Nippon Paint Marine is proud to have joined the Global Industry Alliance for Marine Biosafety (GIA), in February 2024. The GIA is convened to support two key environmental objectives of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), to protect marine biodiversity and decarbonise shipping. The alliance is formed of a collection of maritime industry leaders to identify where investment is needed to better understand biofouling, develop better protection for biodiversity, and raise awareness of these issues across the maritime industry.
The publication in 2023 of IMO guidelines on biofouling has seen port authorities and national and regional governments respond quickly to bring in measures for managing biofouling in their own jurisdictions. The GIA, as a source of expertise and knowledge on the continuing evolution of global standards on biofouling management, is a vital resource in supporting the industry’s efforts to reduce the spread of invasive species and improve environmental protection. The alliance establishes an integral network which supports the development of partnerships between organisations across the value chain, including important partners for Nippon Paint Marine, such as ports and regulators.
Speaking about Nippon Paint Marine’s membership of the GIA, President, Gladys Goh, commented: “At Nippon Paint Marine we are committed to supporting the environment and ensuring we produce products for the shipping industry that help to minimise operators’ impact. We are very excited to be joining the GIA to work with them on their overall goal to protect the environment. The industry-public sector collaboration is essential in order to achieve our goals in the most effective way.”
Membership of the GIA will allow Nippon Paint Marine to contribute to the development of guidelines for tackling biofouling and the consequent contamination of marine ecosystems by invasive species. The shipping industry needs to adopt a partnership approach to ensure solutions are both practical and effective, for the industry and local governments.
The accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae, and small animals on hull surfaces is not only harmful to ecosystems, it is also a concern for decarbonisation. Biofouling increases surface roughness and friction, increasing fuel consumption and total Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. The GIA is committed to reducing the detrimental effects of species invasion and reducing emissions related to biofouling.
Nippon Paint Marine has more than 140 years of experience in producing marine coatings and is widely regarded as a pioneer in the development of hull protection and antifouling paint. We look forward to sharing our expertise with partners in the GIA, in our collective effort to protect marine biodiversity and decarbonise the shipping industry.
