. Anti-fouling paints The harmful effects of anti-fouling paints on marine organisms were first given prominence in connection with leisure craft in marinas and other restricted waters. Not surprisingly, attention quickly turned to merchant vessels and ship repair yards, and the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee has now been discussing the problem for several sessions. In November 1998 the Committee agreed a draft resolution on the phasing out of organotin-based compounds (TBTs) in anti-fouling paints. The draft, which will be submitted for adoption by the IMO Assembly in November 1999, proposes a ban on the application of such paints from January 2003, followed by a total prohibition on the presence of organotin-based anti-fouling paints on hulls by the end of 2007. ICS fully recognises the need for this course of action, but is concerned about the consequences. Some form of anti-fouling application is essential to prevent the build-up of crustaceans and other forms of marine life on ships' hulls, and the alternative paints that are currently available or under development neither have a proven record of efficiency nor have been shown to be less harmful to the marine environment. Now that the timetable has been set by IMO for the phase-out, the basic structure for the proposed legislation will have to be drawn up. ICS will continue to press for safeguards to be put into place so that both economic and environmental factors associated with the use of alternative anti-fouling paints can be determined and assessed. .