No plans for hull scrubbing ‘ban’  

Government has no plans to introduce a hull scrubbing ban.

There has been talk that the Government intends to introduce licencing for hull scrubbing and at worst intends to put in place a ban on hull scrubbing, similar to that found in some European countries. 

However, the RYA has had extensive discussions with Defra (Department for Environment and Rural Affairs) and can confirm that the Government does not intend to require boat owners to obtain a licence in order to carry out hull scrubbing. 

Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge there has been no formal discussion to date relating to any sort of ban on hull scrubbing in English waters.

Defra Review

Since the passing of the Marine Act 2010 the Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) has been reviewing the existing marine licensing system and this has included looking at all activities that take place in the marine environment – even those that have historically not required consent.

One of the areas they were looking at was hull scrubbing and Defra did consider introducing a requirement for boat owners to obtain a licence in order to legally carry out this activity.

RYA stressed importance of hull scrubbing

The RYA has been working closely with Defra as they have undertaken this review process and we talked with them about hull scrubbing. We stressed how important hull scrubbing is to recreational boaters and also, given the scale of this activity around the coast, pointed out the difficulties they might have in enforcing such a regulation.

As a result of these discussions, Defra understood that to introduce a licence requirement for hull scrubbing would be disproportionately expensive to enforce and could potentially cause more harm than good.  

Marine environment consenting regimes

Activities in the marine environment have been subject to various consenting regimes over the years and following the passing of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2010 (the Marine Act) the Government has been reviewing the current rules. This review process  culminated in the launch of the new marine licensing system on 6th April 2011 and details of this can be found at www.marinemanagement.org.uk

Under the old system, consent was required under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (FEPA) for any activities that result in a deposit to the seafloor; anything that has the potential to affect navigational safety requires consent under the Coast Protection Act 1949 (CPA).

Usually linked to construction activities or capital dredging schemes, FEPA and CPA consent could also be required for a range of other activities including burial at sea and the laying of permanent moorings.

The new marine licensing system brings together FEPA and CPA consenting requirements and seeks to streamline the process for increased transparency.  

Best practice emphasised

We also took the opportunity to raise with Defra the best practice advice that is being promulgated by The Green Blue (the RYA and the BMF's environmental initiative) that encourages boaters to scrub off regularly and in a responsible manner to limit negative impacts on the marine environment, particularly the spread of non-native invasive species.  

More information on the new marine licensing system can be found at www.marinemanagement.org.uk.

Advice on best practice when it comes to hull scrubbing can be found at here.

Caroline Price RYA Planning and Environment Advisor