Hornblower Cruises Volunteers for Copper-Free Paint Study

Thursday, 26 March 2009
Contact: Barbara Moreno (619) 686-6216

The Newport Hornblower is cruising the waters of Southern California with an experimental paint job on its hull. Port of San Diego tenant Hornblower Cruises and Events volunteered to test 10 eco-friendly paints on one of its vessels.  The test is part of an EPA-funded study to find an alternative to copper antifouling hull paints. The donated paints were applied on Monday, March 23 at Knight and Carver YachtCenter in National City.

"We're doing some experimental painting," said Jim Unger, Vice President of Hornblower Cruises and Events. "Traditionally bottom paint has had toxins, either heavy metals or other biocides, that get into the water system and what we're doing here is experimenting with paints that have very little or none of each."

In 1996, the San Diego Regional Water Control Board identified high levels of dissolved copper in the water of Shelter Island Yacht basin. The high copper levels in the water were the result of the boats that have copper based paint. Boaters use the copper paints to prevent the growth of marine organisms on their boat hulls.

"The downside to using these copper paints is that the copper leaches off these boat hulls and gets into the water column," said Karen Holman, Environmental Specialist with the Port of San Diego. "At that point it becomes potentially toxic to the marine organisms in the water and becomes a water quality problem."

In the summer of 2008, the Port's environmental services team tested copper-free paints, submersing painted fiberglass panels into the Bay. In addition to being tested on recreational boats through the EPA funded study, the top performers from the panel test are now being tested by Hornblower.

"Our partnership with the Hornblower is a great adventure in this study because we are able to take several different test coatings and put all of these test coatings onto one boat hull for a side by side comparison," said Holman.

Port of San Diego tenant Knight and Carver YachtCenter in National City is already using some of the eco-friendly paints on clients' vessels. They helped applying the test paints to the Hornblower's hull.

"We're really pushing to go green, so we feel really passionate about looking after the environment," said Graham Rutherford, project manager at Knight and Carver. "The feedback we have now is great. What I've heard are good results (from boaters)... we're reapplying, which is a good thing."

Comparisons of the test paints will be made over a two-year period, the normal life expectancy of copper-based paint. In the meantime, Hornblower is helping spread the word about the study.

"What's great is this will actually be done pictorially -- and somewhat in video on our everyday cruises - on Harbor cruises and whale watching at San Diego Bay, aboard our Adventure Hornblower," said Unger.

The Newport Hornblower will be rebranded overall to talk about the work being done on the Port tidelands to improve the environmental condition of the water and its surround.