In the world of recreational boating, anti-fouling paint serves an essential purpose. This special type of coating prevents the accumulation of microorganisms, algae, and other marine organisms that are shown to affect performance and durability. While it plays a crucial role in maintaining a vessel’s functionality, studies have raised concerns about the adverse effects of anti-fouling paint on the environment.
Many of these paints contain harsh, toxic biocides such as copper, zinc, and organotin compounds, including tributyltin (TBT), all of which are detrimental to marine life and pose serious threats to the aquatic ecosystem. When a boat coated with this paint sails through water, tiny particles containing biocides leach into the marine environment. These microscopic particles then interact with water and sediments, introducing toxicity that endangers the survival of marine organisms and helps prevent marine-life buildup on the hull. essentially, it poisons the surrounding water to provide a sterile environment for the hull, surely an anomaly in todays eco-conscious culture.
Prolonged exposure to these toxic compounds considerable has been scientifically shown to cause harm to the water’s inhabitants. Heavy metals such as copper and zinc can disrupt normal biological functions and reproductive processes of sea creatures. This disruption often leads to declined populations, imbalances in the food chain, and, in extreme cases, decimation of entire species. It might not seem relevant and indeed might seem a distant concept when you launch your tiny boat into the water however vast numbers of boats over the decades DOES become a realisable concept. Everything mankind does in the water effects the ecological balance, readily evidenced by the saga of TBT’s.
TBT, a biocide formerly used in many anti-fouling paints, is a toxic component that reaped havoc in marine ecosystems. After decades of indiscriminate use, TBT was found to cause imposex, a phenomenon where female sea snails develop male sex organs, resulting in reproductive failure and, eventually, extinction of some populations. Recognising the dire consequences of this chemical substance, the International Maritime Organisation enforced a global ban on TBT-based anti-fouling systems in 2008. Despite this ban, residues of TBT persist in the marine environment, lingering in sediments due to its slow degradation process which continues to pose a significant threat to marine life.
So, as responsible boat owners, what can we do about this? At a global level legislation has been enacted that recognises this issue and seeks to ban the use of such toxic chemicals however that is of course a slow process. ultimately it is down to us as individuals to all play our collective parts, no matter how small they might seem. Nowadays there is a wide-range of eco-friendly products that have replaced the old dangers however at the end of the day we all want the same thing.
A clean hull.
Combined with your chosen anti-fouling, regular cleaning of your hull by Pegasus Keelkrab has been shown to significantly enhance the life of the anti-fouling paint. In use around the world and in constant development over the last decade, boat owners of all types have reported that periods between necessary repainting have been significantly increased thus saving time and money. Lets face it, anti-foul paint of WHATEVER type you chose to use is eye-wateringly expensive. Anything that reduces how often you need to buy it is , well a no-brainer!!
Every Keelkrab subscription is tailor made to your boat and your boating needs ensuring optimal performance all year round.