Biofoul delays cruise ship Viking Orion from docking in Australia. What is it and the biosecurity risk?

 

KEY POINTS

• The Viking Orion cruise ship was not able to enter Australia for several days due to biofoul.
• The biosecurity concerns associated with the build-up on the ship's hull is worrying, experts say.
• Australia has tougher biofouling requirements compared to other countries.

The build-up of biological material known as biofoul - which kept thousands of cruise ship travellers unable to enter Australia for several days - could decimate the environment without intervention, an expert says.

The Viking Orion has returned to its scheduled itinerary and is on course for Sydney after docking in Melbourne on Monday.

Biosecurity concerns forced the 227-metre cruise ship to undergo cleaning of its hull before it was allowed to enter Australian waters after travelling from New Zealand.

What impact does biofoul have on the environment?

Organic build-up on ship hulls including bacteria, plankton, sea grasses, mussels and barnacles can enable "stowaway" species to reach Australia, Associate Professor Sophie Leterme said.

The director of the Flinders University Biofilm Training Centre said as on land, the introduction of invasive species to Australia's marine environments was of huge concern.

"If they make it to our reefs, they might decimate the environment and cause some serious issues," Assoc Prof Leterme told AAP.

"You don't want to find a Japanese or French seaweed, for example, taking over the biodiversity of Australian ecosystems."

Particularly on larger ships, cleaning involved considerable expense, required divers and often took several days.

"With COVID, maybe the companies have not kept up with the requirements as much as they should," Assoc Prof Leterme said.

What are Australia's rules on biofoul?

Australia and New Zealand have relatively stringent biofouling requirements compared to other countries.

The federal agriculture department recently introduced new rules for managing biofoul on international vessels arriving in Australia.

"You don't want to find a Japanese or French seaweed, for example, taking over the biodiversity of Australian ecosystems."

Particularly on larger ships, cleaning involved considerable expense, required divers and often took several days.

"With COVID, maybe the companies have not kept up with the requirements as much as they should," Assoc Prof Leterme said.

What are Australia's rules on biofoul?

Australia and New Zealand have relatively stringent biofouling requirements compared to other countries.

The federal agriculture department recently introduced new rules for managing biofoul on international vessels arriving in Australia.