A British survey is currently being conducted to find out how responsibly owners apply antifouling. Among other things, the survey asks how they apply the paint, how often they do so and what precautions they take, such as wearing face masks or gloves.
The British umbrella organisation for paint and ink manufacturers, the BTC, commissioned the survey in order to counter the trend towards bans, which has apparently been gaining more and more attention at a political level in recent years. According to a report in the English sailing magazine "Yachting Monthly", the umbrella organisation even fears a ban on underwater paint for private use - this would mean that only specialist companies would be allowed to apply the antifouling. This would mean a considerable increase in costs for owners.
The association hopes that the survey results will provide evidence of responsible behaviour on the part of owners and thus counteract the trend towards bans.
However, if the private use of underwater paint is banned in the UK in the future, this could also have an impact on other EU countries.
