The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has set the roadmap for the country’s implementation of marine environment protection conventions such as biodiversity and biofouling.

Engineer Ramon Hernandez, Director of Marinas and Shipyards Regulatory Department, said the National Strategic Action Plan (NSAP) titled “Green Maritime Philippines: Protect and Conserve” was designed to ensure implementation comprehensive and effective set of relevant standards on the marine environment in the Philippines.

Marina shared her best practices in protecting and conserving the marine environment during the second meeting of the Global Project Task Force (GPTF) of the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloFouling Partnerships Project recently at the headquarters of the United Nations. International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London, UK.

Hernandez presented general updates on the Philippines’ progress as the project’s lead partner country and the country’s biofouling management initiatives. The NSAP was adopted by the Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee to Facilitate the Ratification, Accession and Implementation of Maritime Conventions (ICCFRAIMC). It is part of Program 10 of the Ten-Year Maritime Industries Development Plan.

Hernandez said, “The Philippines aims to mobilize a pan-national cooperative approach in the protection, conservation and management of the marine environment and natural resources for the present and future generation.” He shared the institutionalization of ICCFRAIMC through Executive Order 159 issued by President Duterte on December 28, 2021.

“The ICCFRAIMC is a national working group which aims to provide policy guidance, technical advice and ensure a systematic and integrated approach to the ratification and implementation of priority IMO instruments among relevant government agencies “, Hernandez said.

Hernandez said Marina Training Institute (Marti) serves as the designated national training institute for the GloFouling Partnerships project. The IMO has repeatedly commended the initiatives of the Philippines as one of the three countries that have spearheaded the delivery of the biofouling management training course across the Marti.

Meanwhile, Hernandez shared that the ballast water and biofouling management research program received a grant from the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) and is being implemented through a strengthened partnership with relevant government agencies, including the University of the Philippines. Institute of Environmental Sciences and Meteorology as project promoter. The main end users are the marina and the Philippine Coast Guard.

The DoST has approved a research grant in the amount of 12 million pesos for the development of a prototype ballast water management technology to be used for harbor maintenance and which may be useful for inland navigation.

The GloFouling Partnerships Project aims to implement a series of governance reforms at the national level through numerous capacity building activities, training workshops, demonstration sites and other adoption opportunities. technologies to help solve the problem of aquatic invasive species.