Effect of antifouling paints and nautical tourism on the sustainability of marine environment in the case of the village ports of a small island

Abstract

The problem of underwater hull fouling has been mostly noticed by the pleasure boat owners when reducing the boat speed. In order to decrease the fouling of the underwater part of the hull, antifouling paints have been used. Some kinds of antifouling paints have become a serious environmental problem due to its very harmful effect on marine organisms and also, indirectly, on humans. Scientific research conducted in this domain has confirmed contamination by toxic compounds as a result of the usage of antifouling paints over long period of time. The paper is focused on underwater hull maintenance, especially when applying antifouling systems on pleasure crafts owned by tourists and local residents, in the example of the village ports of a small island. A survey was conducted among the residents who use ports to determine their knowledge regarding the harmful effects of biocidal coatings and the possible harmless maintenance of the underwater hull part. This paper aims to indicate the necessary equipment and procedures in the two small local ports in order to maintain pleasure boats in environmentally acceptable manner.