Global Environment Facility News

Ten organizations have joined forces to combat illegal wildlife trafficking through increasing awareness and vigilance across global supply chains.Together, they have produced practical guidelines for all supply chain participants, with advice on measures to take, questions to ask to help identify criminal wildlife trade, and guidance on reporting suspicious activities. An accompanying "Red Flags" document serves as a daily reference for all individuals involved in the supply chain.

A newly signed initiative is set to provide pilot projects to demonstrate technical solutions for biofouling management in developing countries, address the transfer of invasive aquatic species and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships.The TEST (Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technologies) Biofouling Project will run for four years (2022-2025), following an agreement signed on December 8 by International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).

ONE SEA has appointed Capt Eero Lehtovaara as its new Chairman. Lehtovaara, a Master Mariner and Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute, is Head of Regulatory & Public Affairs at ABB Marine & Ports.He brings a wealth of experience to the expanding ONE SEA alliance where he has been a Board member for two years, as well as Vice Chairman. His past experience at sea provides a unique understanding of the challenges set by new regulations, human resource management and technological developments…

The GloFouling Partnerships project, is a joint initiative between the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) ,  has 12 Lead Partnering Countries.Indonesia and Mexico have recently joined Fiji, Tonga, Brazil, Madagascar, Mauritius and Philippines as those which have already established their national task forces. Jordan, Sri Lanka, Peru and Ecuador will join in the coming months.The project will help developing countries to tackle invasive aquatic species transferred through so-called biofouling – on ships’ hulls and on other marine structures.Marine biodiversity is under threat from invasive aquatic species…

Marine biodiversity is under threat from invasive aquatic species, but International Maritime Organization (IMO) is leading a major global project to combat that threat and find solutions to this major problem.And that project has just passed two major milestones as two more countries, Indonesia and Mexico, have formed their national task force to take part in the initiative, said a press note from the UN body.The project, GloFouling Partnerships, is a joint initiative between the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and IMO. It will help developing countries to tackle invasive aquatic species…

Biodiversity can be threatened by organisms which can build up on ships' hulls and other marine structures, a process known as biofouling.A press note from International Maritime Organization (IMO) said that during a workshop in Arraial do Cabo, Brazil (5 August), experts on biofouling and invasive species and others took the first steps towards setting up a national task force to tackle the issue.According to the UN body, Brazil is one of 12 lead partnering countries in the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloFouling Partnerships project, which aims to protect marine biodiversity by addressing biofouling.Each lead partnering country's national task force…

The initial phase of the Glofouling Partnerships project is now well and truly underway with a series of technical workshops in the Pacific, stated  International Maritime Organization (IMO).The UN body said that the key message delivered to participants was that once introduced, marine invasive species can be hard to eradicate - and invasive species represent a potential major threat to the Pacific Ocean's biodiversity and the ecological integrity of Small Island Developing States.The GEF-UNDP-IMO GloFouling Partnerships project aims to protect marine biodiversity by addressing bio-invasions by organisms which can build up on ship's hulls and other marine structures.Meanwhile…

International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN body, announced that a major five-year project to help protect marine biodiversity has been kick-started at a global workshop at IMO Headquarters in London, United Kingdom (18-20 March).The IMO-executed GloFouling Partnerships project will address bioinvasions by organisms which can build up on ships’ hulls and other marine structures. The project is a collaboration between the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and IMO.Representatives from 12 lead partnering countries, four regional organizations, IOC-UNESCO, the World Ocean Council and…

HullWiper Ltd has signed a new agreement with Indian Ocean-based underwater hull cleaning specialists Immersub, marking its first step into the African continent in the continued drive to keep vessels' hulls, and the oceans, free of non-native marine species.It is the latest extension of HullWiper’s leasing program, introduced in 2017 to work with partners around the world to offer ship owners and operators a cost-efficient, brush- and diver-free alternative to traditional hull cleaning methods that protects anti-fouling coating on vessel hulls and the oceans.

Mauritius is one of 12 countries spearheading the International Marine Organisation (IMO) GloFouling Project, a collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and IMO, created to implement guidelines for the control and management of the transfer of invasive marine species on vessel hulls.The underwater hull cleaning technology provider HullWiper said that it would support efforts to combat marine biofouling in Mauritian waters and introduce underwater hull cleaning solution to the Mauritian maritime community.Change is the simple answer to the “environmental emergency” presented by marine biofouling and the transfer of invasive species.

The GloFouling Partnerships project - a collaboration between the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) -  has been launched.The new international effort to combat the negative environmental impacts of the transfer of aquatic species through ships  will address the build-up of aquatic organisms on a ship’s underwater hull and on other marine mobile infrastructure.The introduction of invasive aquatic organisms into new marine environments not only affects biodiversity and ecosystem health, but also has measurable impacts on a number of economic sectors such as fisheries, aquaculture and ocean energy.

The ground-breaking Global Industry Alliance (GIA) – a partnership of key maritime stakeholders pursuing low carbon shipping – has met at International Maritime Organization (IMO) Headquarters, London (7 December). The GIA is made up of leading shipowners and operators, classification societies, engine and technology builders and suppliers, big data providers, port and oil companies – tasked with identifying and developing innovative ways to encourage use of energy-efficiency technologies and operations. The GIA Task Force meeting, the second one in the series, saw 20 industry representatives from across the Alliance’s 16 member companies discuss how to make further progress on on-going GIA funded activities and to agree new priority areas to pursue under the partnership.

At a ceremony in Singapore Bureau Veritas formally joined the Global Industry Alliance (GIA). The GIA was officially inaugurated on June 29 by IMO Secretary General, Mr Kitack Lim. 17 companies have now signed up to join the GIA, which will work within a framework established by Global Maritime Energy Efficiency Partnership (GloMEEP) Project, a Global Environment Facility (GEF)-United Nations Development Program (UNDP) - IMO project. The GIA will support improving the energy efficiency of ships and shipping by collectively identifying and developing innovative solutions to address common barriers and promote the uptake of energy efficiency technologies and operational measures.

An IMarEST workshop workshop on practical biofouling management strategies just has concluded in Melbourne, Australia, September 12-15. IMO is working actively to address biofouling issues by implementing practices to control and manage undesirable accumulation of aquatic organisms like, plants, algae and animals on ships’ hulls. One of the IMO’s main objective at the conference is to promote a new partnership project together with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) which seek to curb the spread of bioinvasion as well as to identify future partners for the project. The event also looked at current and future regulations, as well as gaps hindering the implementation of effective biofouling management strategies and standards.

Global Environment Facility (GEF) approves new project concept to address major aquatic invasive species vector. A new global project to help protect marine ecosystems from the negative effects of invasive aquatic species has been given the go-ahead for preparation. The GloFouling Partnerships project – a collaboration between the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) – will address the transfer of aquatic species through biofouling, in other words, the build-up of aquatic organisms on a ship’s underwater hull and structures. The project will focus on the implementation of the IMO Guidelines for the control and management of ships’ biofouling…

Days after the announcement by International Maritime Organization (IMO) of the Global Industry Alliance (GIA), another commercial company has joined the initiative to help shipping and related industries transition towards a low-carbon future. The Grimaldi Group, a global shipping and logistics company, has become the 14th company to join the GIA, a public-private partnership initiative in which 'industry champions' from various sectors of the industry come together to tackle the challenges of decarbonizing the shipping sector. The GIA members will identify and develop innovative solutions to barriers holding back the uptake and implementation of energy-efficiency technologies and operational measures in shipping.

Leading shipowners and operators, classification societies, engine and technology builders and suppliers, big data providers, and oil companies have signed up to a new Global Industry Alliance (GIA) to support transitioning shipping and its related industries towards a low carbon future. Thirteen companies have signed up to launch the GIA, under the auspices of the GloMEEP Project, a Global Environment Facility (GEF)-United Nations Development Program (UNDP)-International Maritime Organization (IMO) project aimed at supporting developing countries in  the implementation of energy efficiency measures for shipping. Together, the GIA partners…

Nearly 300 delegates from International Maritime Organization (IMO) Member States, international NGOs and intergovernmental organizations have gathered at IMO Headquarters in London for the first meeting of the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions from Ships (26-30 June). The group, which is meeting in a closed session, will provide a report to next week’s session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 71) (full preview here). The working group report will form the basis for further deliberation in relation to the elements set out in the Roadmap for developing a comprehensive IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships, which was agreed at MEPC 70.

During the 20th century, tiny organisms carried in the ballast water of ships began to be recognized as alien invasive species. These aquatic species were hitching a ride across the oceans and some were embedding themselves in new areas, multiplying and becoming harmful invasive aquatic species. The impacts on native species, local ecosystems and sea-based economies have, in some cases, been devastating. The story of how global partnerships, governments, industry, academia and other stakeholders came together to tackle this problem is told in a new publication, The GloBallast Story, launched (6 June) during a side event at the UN Ocean Conference in New York.

DNV GL is part of the consortium selected by the World Bank to support the development of 3 new standards in offshore wind turbine support structures, offshore substations, offshore wind farm power cables. DNV GL will also be advising the Chinese government on project financing and risk management as part of this project. “Offshore Wind is a very demanding technology. Standards are crucial to minimize the risks to acceptable and bankable levels, and learning from the international experience as this mandate is supporting, is a great approach to accelerate a successful industry,” said Mathias Steck, ‎Executive Vice President for DNV GL’s Energy business in APAC.

A decade-long project to promote implementation of an international treaty stemming the transfer of potentially invasive species in ships’ ballast water has reached a successful conclusion at a meeting of stakeholders from Governments, industry and UN bodies. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been executing the GloBallast Partnerships Program in collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The project was launched in 2007 after an initial 4-year phase and has been assisting developing countries to reduce the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens in ships’ ballast water and implement the IMO Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention.

Three new guides that will support States to effectively implement IMO-adopted mandatory energy-efficiency measures for shipping have been rolled out during a training under the Global Environment Facility (GEF)-United Nations Development Program (UNDP)-International Maritime Organization (IMO) GloMEEP Project, paving the way for further work in climate change mitigation by the maritime sector. The GloMEEP training was held from 12 to 14 September in Batumi, Georgia, which is one of the Lead Pilot Countries of the Project. The GloMEEP Project is part of IMO’s continued work to support developing countries to prevent air pollution and address greenhouse gas emissions from ships.

A team from International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Marine Environment Division has won the best Portfolio Solution Award in the 8th International Waters Conference (IWC8) organized by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in Negombo, Sri Lanka (9-13 May). The award was given for the project with the best strategy for scaling-up investments aimed at addressing global environmental issues facing international waters, including the oceans. International waters is one of the five thematic portfolios of GEF funding, with around 90 related projects being featured at IWC8 and some 300 currently underway worldwide. IMO's team presented the "Glo-X" partnerships model, embracing two separate projects - GloBallast and GloMEEP.