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By Steve Agbota
The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh said that there is need to address the issue of biofouling to boost national food security.
Speaking at 3-day workshop on Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technologies (Test Biofouling) Project for Partnering Countries organised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in partnership with MTCC-Africa, yesterday, Jamoh said that it has become imperative for the country to tackle the negative effects of biofouling and abate the transfer of invasive species by ships on the nation’s territorial waters to drive the national food security through adequate protection of the marine environment.
“The importance of protecting and conserving our seas, oceans and their inhabitants, cannot be overemphasised as we are intrinsically linked to them and their wellbeing reflects our own wellbeing too.
“When the non indigenous marine- species are introduced into an ecoregion, they possess the ability to outcompete the native ones, thereby threatening their existence, biodiversity and national food security resulting in huge social and economic impact for our nation,” he explained.
According to him, there was need to protect the marine environment and manage biofouling in a consistent manner across the country’s waterways in tandem with the international best practices.
However, he added that biofouling has a detrimental effect on biodiversity conservation, as well as ecology, health and economy of our nation which must be addressed through adequate protection of the nation’s territorial waters.
He added that biofouling on ships’ hulls causes an increase in roughness, leading to an increase in hydrodynamic drag, which in turn leads to an increase in the rate of fuel consumption and Green House Gas (GHG) emission by ships.
He hinted that the nation’s economy relies heavily on international trade with shipping being a key component of the country’s import and export activities.
He said it has inevitably exposed the country to threats of harmful non-indigenous Invasive Aquatic Species (IAS) that may be transfered into the nation’s territorial waters.
“Studies over tine have revealed that ships serve as a channel for transportation of harmful non-indigenous Invasive Aquatic Species (IAS). These organisms attached themselves to the outer surface and niche areas of a ship, and are then translocated from one one region to another. The process by which these organisms attached themselves to the ship and other surfaces is referred to as fouling.
“It is noteworthy that when these non indigenous marine- species are introduced into an ecoregion, they possess the ability to outcompete the native ones, thereby threatening their existence, biodiversity and national food security resulting in huge social and economic impact,” he added.
He said biofouling increases the hydrodynamic drag of ships which results in increased fuel consumption, reduced speed and maneuverability, consequently leading to increase in fuel consumption, and to prevent the menace ascribed to biofouling in our waters.
“Nigeria has adopted the IMO Guideline for the Control and Management of Ship’s Biofouling which is an international instrument aimed at addressing and maintaining the efficiency, safety and environmental sustainability of our maritime operations as well as prevent the spread of Invasive species in our waters.
“Technological advancements have led to some innovative solutions by experts to aid the control and mitigate the impact of biofouling. However, some of these technologies exhibit complexity in the course of their application.
“This workshop on Test Biofouling Project is an initiative of the IMO in close partnership with the Maritime Technology Cooperation Center (MTCC) to assist developing countries advance their knowledge about and facilitate the Implementation of the IMO Biofouling Guidelines owing to the complexity of biofouling management and the technologies available,” he said.
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