Practical implementation of the COMPLETE project outputs and tools

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COMPLETE PLUS is based on the work of COMPLETE (R.069) which addressed one of the key challenges of the BSR (i.e. making shipping more environmentally friendly and whenever possible, without placing an unnecessary burden on the shipping industry) by developing operational frameworks and providing concrete user-oriented tools. The high value of the project products for the regionally harmonized implementation of the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention was recognized by stakeholders at the national and regional meetings organized by COMPLETE. The Biofouling Management Roadmap proposal for the Baltic Sea Region developed by COMPLETE is the first regionally coordinated effort to address the biofouling problem. The fundamental practical importance of these results underlines the need of maintaining and using the products after the lifetime of COMPLETE. COMPLETE PLUS aims to ensure that COMPLETE outputs and tools will be operationalized to ensure their sustainable use by all relevant actors and stakeholders. This will be achieved by outreach and training of all main target groups (i.e. shipping companies, environmental and maritime authorities, ports, contracting parties of HELCOM) in the practical implementation and real-world application of COMPLETE outputs. A central part of this work is the elaboration of specific mechanisms and pathways for the long-term maintenance of these tools and their further sustainable use through coordination between relevant end-users. There will be seven main concrete outcomes of COMPLETE PLUS: 1) the validated operationality of the Early Warning System on harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens aimed to minimize the uptake of ballast water by ships under critical biological conditions; 2) the updated Target Species list ready to use by shipping companies for applying and by maritime administrations for granting exemptions under the Ballast Water Management Convention; 3) a unified online service with user-friendly data extraction tools ensuring accessibility and use of all available monitoring data on non-indigenous species in the Baltic Sea by relevant governmental authorities and stakeholders; 4) the proposal for HELCOM guidance documents of biofouling management, available for both commercial shipping and the boating sector, based on the Baltic Sea Biofouling Management Roadmap; 5) the practical guidance for choosing anti-fouling systems and applications in real-life conditions for shipping companies and for the leisure boat owners; 6) the tested tool for evaluating the biofouling risk and its cost-effective management and the tool for assessment of biofouling management on ship speed, fuel consumption and emissions; and 7) the risk assessment procedure for granting permissions for in-water cleaning. The planned work in COMPLETE PLUS will be carried out together with the relevant target groups, represented by the associated partners and the stakeholder network of the COMPLETE project.

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