In Trosa Marina there is a boat-washer, which scrubs off the fouling on boat hulls. Thanks to the boat-washer, the boat-owners do not have to use environmentally-hazardous anti fouling paints anymore.
Fouling on boat hulls is a big problem for boat-owners. Resistance in the water is increased, whereby the speed of the boat decreases and consumption of fuel increases. The paint used to prevent formation of organisms on boat hulls exudes toxic substances which in turn poison the sea bottom. As a result of this many protective paints have been banned. Alternative mechanical techniques have been developed to combat the growth of organisms on boat hulls, for example, boat washers. A municipality, which has installed a boat-washer is Trosa municipality. Trosa Marina has had a boat washer installation since 2005. It washes boats up to a maximum depth of 2.8 m and a maximum width of 1.8 m. Underneath the boat-washer, there is a membrane which collects all the poisonous material that is loosened during the wash. According to a survey, most of the boat owners are satisfied with the result of the boat-wash. The statistics also show that an increasing number of people are using the boat-washer and the proportion of boat-owners who are using the toxic paint is decreasing in Trosa Marina, which should be regarded as an environmental success.
Stockholm Cleantech, Uddbergagatan 1, 61931 Trosa, 0156-161 11, [email protected]