A new web-based app called the Marine Vessel Portal (MVP) has been developed to help New Zealand boat owners, marinas and councils reduce the risk of marine pest incursions. The MVP is already a key tool in marine biosecurity management, recording surveillance activity, findings and the presence of marine pests in bays and harbours from Northland to Bay of Plenty. It also records information about the regional hull surveillance programmes, including biofouling levels and pest species found on boats during routine inspections. By signing up to the MVP boat owners and marina operators can be empowered to better manage their biofouling risk.

The Portal will include:

Information about a boat’s recent hull maintenance or cleaning can be entered into the MVP by boat owners, maintenance contractors, haul outs and dive companies. The MVP also contains results from hull surveys undertaken by council marine biosecurity teams in Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty and Waikato.

When a vessel arrives in a new location marina staff will be able to see when a boat was cleaned, its antifoul coatings, and details of recent inspections. This, along with talking with the boat owner about where a vessel has traveled, will help them decide if a boat presents a marine biosecurity risk or not.

Boat owners can claim their boat in the system by entering some basic information about their vessel, including its name, description, usual location and their contact details. Uploading a photo is also helpful.

Once submitted, our team will work to match it up with a boat already in the system and ask the boat owner to confirm the match - or they will set up a new entry if needed.

With access to the MVP, owners can see details of past dive inspections of their vessel including any the level of fouling and marine pest species found. They can also add their own information about their vessel’s antifouling maintenance

Participating marina operators can view this information, negating the need for vessel owners to carry/email documents before arriving at a marina or in some cases, between regions.

The Marine Vessel Portal is an app developed and shared by Northland Regional Council, Auckland Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Waikato Regional Council. These councils are empowered to collect information about vessels by the Biosecurity Act, but participation by boat owners is optional.

When a boat owner claims their boat they will need to provide permission for the identity of their vessel to be confirmed with their marina operator (if applicable) and will have an opportunity to review and accept a Privacy Agreement. A two-step authentication process will protect the integrity of vessel data.