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interreg 
Baltic Sea Region 
JROPEAN 
Z6I0MAL 
*VELOPMENT 
N AD. 
” COMPLETE PLUS 
on biocidal AFS, a chemical risk assessment should be developed to minimize the risk of impact 
of hazardous substances. 
In addition to the recommendations for IWC procedures as described in this document, the 
development of a decision support tool for biofouling species similar to the existing 
HELCOM/OSPAR_deecision support tool for ballast water exemptions can be considered, if 
coatings are developed, which will not release any particles during cleaning and therefore 
eliminate the risk of particle input. This decision support tool bases on lists of non-indigenous 
species that are likely to impair or damage the environment, human health, property and resources 
if they spread to the sea area for which the list was created and are a key element of the Joint 
harmonized procedure (JHP). Based on these lists, low risks routes can be defined for granting 
granting exemptions under regulation A-4 of the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention 
(BWMO). If these lists are refined to biofouling target species, they could be used to define low 
risk routes aiming in lower in-water cleaning restrictions for vessels travelling between ports 
without any target species. In cases where biofouling species are identical in traded areas, IWC 
could also be permitted without capture and filtration. Moreover, as soon as there will be a marine 
pest alert program in place in the BSR, it should also be considered in the decision process. In 
this context, extending the early warning system, currently developed for the implementation of 
the BWMC, to include also biofouling species, should be taken into consideration. 
All aspects and ratings included in this proposal of a risk assessment as basis for the permission 
af IWC should be revisited as soon as the revision of the IMO Biofouling Guidelines has been 
finalized. Details might differ from what is going to be agreed internationally. It is therefore also be 
mentioned that the terms used and the definitions might differ from those used in the future 
Biofouling Guidelines and thus, need to be adopted accordingly. 
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