Introduction

The biodiversity of marine life is very sensitive to the activity of human beings. In Europe, as everywhere else in the world, the density of human population keeps increasing on the coastal fringe. It results in a continual and rapid developpement of the use of the coastal space and in an increasing pressure upon the ecosystems and the species. Sailing, the introduction of invasive species, the excessive exploitation of fishing resources, pollutions of all sorts are some factors responsible for the erosion of marine biodiversity. Worsened by the changing climate, this anthropization is destroying the fragile balance of the marine ecosystems and the biodiversity they contain.

The antifouling paints used by pleasure boats are far from being responsible for this degradation of the environment, but they indeniably contribute at their own level. This impact of antifoulings occures both in the water (biocide diffusion) and on land (an important production of micro-wastes generated during the operations of hull cleaning).

Oceoprotec© is a dual-purpose tool allowing :

• To reduce the diffusion of toxic particles in the water by using a unique biocide : vitrified copper filling a very hard epoxy.
• To limit hull-cleaning operations so as to avoid the toxic micro-waste diffusion.