International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships

Anti-fouling systems are typically coatings or paints used to prevent sea life such as barnacles and algae from attaching themselves to ship hulls.  If untreated, these organisms can significantly reduce a ship’s hydrodynamic performance, decreasing speed and increasing fuel consumption and air pollution.  Anti-fouling systems are thus critical to efficient ship operation.

However, some of these compounds, particularly those containing organotins, can pollute sea water and harm marine life, including commercially important species.  The United States has regulated the use of these compounds for over two decades, first under the Organotin Anti-Fouling Paint Control Act of 1988, and now under Title X of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-281).

The United States has also been a major advocate for eliminating the use of harmful anti-fouling systems globally, and played a key role in development of the Anti-Fouling Convention.

In 1990, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted a resolution recommending that governments adopt measures to eliminate anti-fouling paints containing tributyltin (TBT).  In November 1999, after years of research and review of the environmental issues, an IMO Assembly resolution charged the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) to develop a worldwide, legally binding instrument to address this issue on ships.  The resolution called for a global prohibition on the application of organotin compounds by 1 January 2003, and a complete prohibition by 1 January 2008.