Chile has acceded to the 2001 International Convention on the Control of Harmful Antifouling Systems on Ships (AFS).
The Chilean Ambassador to the United Kingdom, H.E. Rolando Drago Rodríguez met the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Kitack Lim, on October 6 to carry out the instrument of accession.
The AFS Convention prohibits the use of the organotins chemical in anti-fouling paints used on ships. These organitins have been previously found to cause deformations and persist in water and sediments, killing sea life and organisms that are not attached to the hulls of ships and entering the food chain and causing genetic diseases.
The convention also establishes a mechanism to prevent the potential future use of other harmful substances in antifouling systems.
Parties to the convention are therefore required to prohibit or restrict the use of harmful substances such as organotins in antifouling systems used on ships.
Ship Efficiency Review News
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