AFS Convention 2001

The AFS Convention regulates antifouling systems on ship hulls to limit their environmental harm. It banned the application of organotin compounds acting as biocides, principally tributyltin, from 1 January 2003, and prohibited their presence on hulls from 17 September 2008. A 2021 amendment added cybutryne (Irgarol 1051) to the controlled list, in force 1 January 2023. Ships above 400 GT on international voyages carry an International Anti-fouling System Certificate, and port state control verifies compliance against the record of antifouling systems.