High sulphur levels in seawater causing discolouration of antifoul?

[Tree]

Anyone else ever heard of this?

For five years I have used Hempel Tiger Extra antifoul paint in white. I use Hempel over International paints because it stays white and doesn’t turn green.

This year after one week in the water my antifoul paint turned a brown colour up to 8” below the water line. I’ve since had the boat scrubbed by a diver who owed me a few favours and once again it has turned a foul looking brown.

I have been in communication with Hempel paints who have said that this only happens with white paints where the water has a high sulphur content.

I am berthed now near a large commercial ferry port where under EU legislation all large commercial shipping operations now have to fit “scrubbers” to the exhaust stacks to reduce emissions.

I’ve since learnt that these scrubbers are filtered by seawater and the content is returned back into the sea. Assuming that the ferry operators are still using heavy oil in way of cleaner burning diesel this removes the sulphur content from the emissions but is now putting it in the water?

Anyone had an experience of this? Does this add a new pollutant to the water that is not only detrimental to boat owners but also marine life? I am considering contacting the harbour authority for their opinion.

[rebuckley]

Very interesting I would try to bring it the authorities attention, sad what we have done to our oceans