Challenges associated with pre-border management of biofouling on oil rigs

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 60; no. 11; pp. 1924 - 1929
• Main Authors: Hopkins, Grant A., Forrest, Barrie M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-11-2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Australia; Biofouling; Biological and medical sciences; Biosecurity; Bivalvia; Communities; Conservation of Natural Resources; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Drilling; Ecosystem; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Management; Marine; Marine and brackish environment; Mathematical analysis; Mussels; New Zealand; Non-indigenous marine species; Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking; Perna perna; Petroleum; Pollution abatement; Population Dynamics; Risk; Vectors (mathematics); Water Movements; New Zealand; Oceania; Australia; PSE, Australia; New Zealand; Non-indigenous marine species; Biosecurity; Perna perna; Introduced species; Offshore drilling platform; Animal introduction; Displacement; Marine environment; Faunal survey; Bivalvia; Biofouling; Invertebrata; Mollusca; Environmental monitoring; Environmental protection
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.07.015

The potential for oil rigs to transport diverse, reef-like communities around the globe makes them high risk vectors for the inadvertent spread of non-indigenous species (NIS). This paper describes two case studies where a suite of pre-border management approaches was applied to semi-submersible drilling rigs. In the first case study, a drilling rig was defouled in-water prior to departure from New Zealand to Australia. Risk mitigation measures were successful in reducing biosecurity risks to the recipient region, but they resulted in the unintentional introduction of the non-indigenous brown mussel (Perna perna) to New Zealand when the rig was defouled in-water by divers. In the second case study, lessons learned from this high-profile incursion resulted in a more structured approach to pre-border management, and this serves as a useful template for future rig transfers.