The control of harmful anti-fouling systems is on the agenda at a national workshop, led by IMO, in Dar es Salaam, the United Republic of Tanzania (14-15 October).
Since the adoption of the convention prohibiting the use of harmful anti-fouling systems on ships (AFS Convention) in 2001, IMO has been holding national and regional workshops to encourage and assist countries in the ratification of the convention and in the development of relevant national legislation.
As a result, the number of States signing up to the convention continues to rise, thereby improving protection of both the marine environment and workers involved in the maintenance of ships’ hulls.
Environmentally-sound practices for the disposal of waste generated in applying and removing anti-fouling systems will also be presented and discussed at the workshop, which is being run by IMO’s Markus Helavuori, Marine Environment Division, and a team of consultants.
The AFS Convention prohibits the use of harmful organotins in anti-fouling paints used on ships and establishes a mechanism to prevent the potential future use of other harmful substances in anti-fouling systems.
Anti-fouling paints are used to coat the bottoms of ships to prevent sealife such as algae and molluscs attaching themselves to the hull – thereby slowing down the ship and increasing fuel consumption.
In the early days of sailing ships, lime and later arsenic were used to coat ships’ hulls, until the modern chemicals industry developed effective anti-fouling paints using metallic compounds. These compounds slowly “leach” into the sea water, killing barnacles and other marine life that have attached to the ship. But studies have shown that these compounds persist in the water, killing sea-life, harming the environment and possibly entering the food chain.
- Under the terms of the AFS Convention, Parties to the Convention are required to prohibit and/or restrict the use of harmful anti-fouling systems on ships
- Anti-fouling systems to be prohibited or controlled are listed in an annex to the Convention, which will be updated as and when necessary.
- The Convention includes a clause which states that a ship shall be entitled to compensation if it is unduly detained or delayed while undergoing inspection for possible violations of the Convention.
- Annex I states that all ships shall not apply or re-apply organotins compounds which act as biocides in anti-fouling systems. This applies to all ships (including fixed and floating platforms, floating storage units (FSUs), and Floating Production Storage and Offtake units (FPSOs)
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Source & Image Credit: IMO
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