This year’s United Nations World Oceans Day on 8 June 2022 will highlight the theme of ‘Revitalisation: Collective Action for the Ocean’. While the ocean connects, sustains, and supports us all, its health is at a tipping point and so is the well-being of all who depend on it. The aim is to create a new balance with the ocean that no longer depletes its resources but instead restores its vibrancy and brings it new life.

Adhesive manufacturer Pratley highlights how one of its high-performance adhesive products is assisting the organisation Oceans Without Borders to preserve the coral reefs around Mnemba Island near Zanzibar. Here the uniquely South African adhesive Pratley Putty is being used to secure and restructure endangered coral reefs off the coast of Zanzibar. “Pratley is excited and honoured to be part of this project to protect, manage, and restore nature,” states Pratley Marketing Director Eldon Kruger.

The local reef is a living laboratory for reef restoration. Broken pieces of parent coral are collected from all over the reefs. The fragments are transformed into new coral pieces, whereby each fragment is secured to a special disc with Pratley Putty and added to the underwater coral nursery table.

Algae is scrubbed off every disc along with its coral fragment to ensure healthy growth. It takes about three months for these coral fragments to grow into new colonies, at which point they are ready to be transplanted back into the reef.

Pratley Putty is a slightly water-soluble, hand-mouldable, high-performance putty-like adhesive. It is ideal for use underwater, but can also fill, seal, build up, and bond almost any rigid material. “Pratley Putty has proven to be stronger and longer-lasting in seawater than any other glue that we tested, thereby giving the transplanted coral the best chance of survival,” says Dr. Tessa Hempson, Principal Scientist with the restoration project.

Such is the strength of Pratley Putty that it has even been used to refloat partially sunken ships and repair boats at sea. It is widely used in the aquarium keeping hobby for securing rock and coral fragments. Since its launch in the early 1960s, Pratley Putty has become a household name, with a myriad of uses.

Pratley Putty was even used by the American space agency onboard its Ranger moon-landing craft. This led to Pratley Putty acquiring its global fame as the only South African manufactured product to go to the moon. Pratley Putty’s strength and reliability reinforce the company’s mantra of producing products that will outperform all others on the world market.