Latin America Report

Concerns about the environment and the preservation of the booming tourism industry in the South Pacific region are driving demand for the latest technology in industrial marine and yacht coatings, says John Cotter, the assistant marine manager for� AustralAsia at International Paint Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Akzo Nobel, in Camellia, New South Wales, Australia.

"With the Great Barrier Reef here, tourism operators are looking for low-VOC, non-biocide anti-fouling coatings, which now are silicon based. Within five years, environmental regulations will not permit any in-water-cleaning; some ports do not allow any at this stage," said Cotter.

Dive operators, in particular, lead the tourism industry in the South Pacific, especially in the "Ring of Fire" volcanic area that rises from the Great Barrier Reef, off Australia's north-east coast, to the north. "As tourism grows, the operators will be adding more vessels to their fleets," he said.

International Paint manufactures a "full line" of both marine and architectural coatings, including enamels and epoxies, at its facility in Port Moresby, the capital of Pap