Jean-Pierre Sachetto

Anti-fouling paint

The invention relates to anti-fouling paints and is concerned with anti-fouling paints developed for inhibiting the fixation of marine organisms on structures which are immersed in sea water, the paints including at least one toxic substance uniformly incorporated into a discontinuous solid matrix which is insoluble in sea water and is dispersed in the paint, the matrix being at least partially formed from at least one substance which becomes soluble in sea water under the action of enzymes liberated by the marine organisms to be inhibited and/or by the bacterial film in contact with the surface of the paint. The paints according to the invention provide an effective life which is much longer than that of the known anti-fouling paints. The invention relates to an anti-fouling paint containing at least one toxic substance.