Page 18: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 1998)

Coatings & Corrosion Control

TBI: The Debate Rages

On eve of an IMO meeting to determine TBT's fate, an industry group contends that premature ban of tributylin (TBT)-based anti-fouling paints will cost shipping companies hundreds of millions annually.

Environmental pressures on shipping companies to toe the "green" line have been mounting for years, with new rules and regu- lations created regularly govern- ing engine emissions, waste han- dling and other aspects of ship operations. While no one will 15th Fast Ferry Conference & Exhibition

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As the International Maritime

Organization (IMO) was preparing to meet at the beginning of

November to discuss the fate of

TBT-based paints, a group repre- senting the economic and scientific communities recently met in

Washington, D.C. to present infor- mation which reportedly forecasts dire economic consequences result- ing from a "premature ban of Trib- utylin (TBT)-based antifouling paints."

TBT has been used as an effec- tive antifouling paint since the early 1970s on ship's hulls to effec- tively check the growth of tube- worms, algae and barnacles. The superior anti-fouling protection afforded ships is directly relevant to the healthy bottom line of the companies which operate them, as clean hulls allow ships to operate more fuel efficiently, and require less frequent regular mainte- nance.

With the operational aspects serving the role of silver lining,

TBT's reported effects on the envi- ronment have long filled the role as the dark cloud.

TBT-based paints are applied to ship bottoms and protect them from fouling. The TBT (tin is the primary active ingredient) in the paint slowly releases into the aquatic environment to prevent attachment of aquatic organisms.

In the mid 1980s, researchers sug- gested that the use of TBT in antifouling paints was adversely affecting some aquatic organisms, namely oysters and snails.

This led to environmental regu- lations to limit the usage, and in some cases, the release rate, of antifoulant paints containing TBT.

The U.S. followed suit in 1988, passing the Organotin Antifouling

Paint Control Act, restricting the use of TBT-containing paints to ships larger than 25 m and those with aluminum hulls.

Last month, the Organotin

Environmental Program (ORTEP)

Association hosted an event which delivered data which shows that estimated annual cost to the world fleet to switch from TBT-based paints to currently available tin- free products would range from $500 million to $1 billion.

The cost analysis was conducted by Princeton Economic Research

Maritime Reporter/Engineering News