Franmarine Secures Multi-Year Commercial In-Water Cleaning Pilot with Fremantle Ports

Independent scientific assessment against national guidelines paves way for Western Australia’s first commercial in-water hull cleaning operation

Franmarine has entered into a multi-year pilot agreement with Fremantle Ports to provide commercial in-water hull cleaning services at the Port of Fremantle when the (biosecurity and chemical) risk is deemed acceptable. This follows an independent scientific assessment against Australia’s emerging national biofouling management framework and WA standards.

The commercial pilot— an initial twelve-month term with two potential one-year extensions — will be assessing the first commercial in-water cleaning operation in Western Australian waters against the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s exposure draft Anti-fouling and In-water Cleaning Guidelines.

The agreement follows an initial scientific assessment conducted in June 2025, where O2 Marine independently evaluated Franmarine’s cleaning and capture system against the draft national standards. The preliminary assessment, undertaken in partnership with Fremantle Ports and Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), provided suitable confidence to the State regulatory authorities, that under strict conditions, biosecurity, and chemical contamination risks of IWHC are mitigated to an acceptable level. This facilitated approval of the commercial agreement to allow for further testing.

“The scientific assessment confirmed that our integrated MarineStream technologies align with where national standards are heading, and gave us a clear pathway for continued improvement,” said Adam Falconer-West, CEO of Franmarine. “This pilot lets us refine our approach through real commercial operations while delivering immediate biosecurity outcomes for the port and Western Australia.”

Svitzer has joined the pilot as an industry partner, demonstrating the maritime sector’s commitment to practical biofouling management solutions that protect Australian waters whilst also contributing to the industry’s decarbonisation objectives.  

The pilot agreement enables Franmarine to provide in-water cleaning services to commercial and government vessels berthed across Fremantle’s Inner Harbour, Rous Head Harbour, and the Australian Marine Complex under an agreed risk-based approach.

“Fourteen years of technology development got us to that initial assessment,” said Mat Harvey, Biofouling Manager at Franmarine. “This pilot is where the real work continues — delivering commercial cleaning operations while progressively strengthening our compliance with Australia’s evolving biofouling framework.”

DPIRD’s biosecurity advice and oversight and Fremantle Ports’ operational coordination was essential to both the initial assessment and the pilot agreement. The collaborative approach demonstrates a practical model for implementing Australia’s national biofouling guidelines as they move toward finalisation.

About Our Partners

Franmarine provides specialist biofouling, underwater asset management and engineering services from its Henderson facility, supporting the maritime industry across Australia. 

Fremantle Ports manages the Port of Fremantle, Western Australia’s largest general cargo port.

DPIRD is responsible for biosecurity and environmental protection across Western Australia’s primary industries and regional areas.

O2 Marine provides independent marine science and environmental consulting services.

Svitzer delivers towage and related marine services to ports and terminals across Australia.