Port Develops Hull Paint Testing Partnership with Hornblower Cruises

The Newport Hornblower is cruising the waters of San Diego Bay with an experimental paint job on its hull.  Recently, Hornblower Cruises & Events partnered with the Port and volunteered to test ten eco-friendly paints on one of its vessels.  The test paints are a subset of paints used in the Port’s EPA Grant Project.  They were applied March 2009 at Knight and Carver Yacht Center in National City and will be tested over a two-year time period.  This partnership is another of the Port’s efforts to identify viable alternatives to copper-based hull paints and work to encourage boaters to transition to these alternative paints.  This effort is also a key component of the Hornblower’s Green Harbor Cruise program.

The partnership between the Port and Hornblower Cruises provides an opportunity to test some of the alternative hull paints on commercial vessels.  In general, commercial vessels are constructed of steel or aluminum and have different use patterns than the typical recreational vessel.  This effort will enable the Port to examine how the alternative paints may perform when used on commercial vessels.  The testing also uses the same evaluation process as that of the Port’s EPA Grant Project so that the Port can compare the outcomes between this project and the EPA Grant Project.

For more information on the Hornblower hull paint testing, please contact Stephanie Bauer.

Boater Volunteers needed to Participate in Hull Paint Study

The Port of San Diego is looking for boat owners in the Shelter Island Yacht Basin who would like to participate in a study of non-copper hull paints. The study is part of an EPA grant project designed to find safer alternatives for the commonly used copper-based hull paints. Boat owners who would like to participate would agree to have a test paint applied to their boat hull and undergo a study assessment for a period of two years. More information is contained in the Participation Letter and Questionnaire. If you are interested, please fill out the Questionnaire and return it to the Port either electronically or by mail.