The development of microfouling on four commercial antifouling coatings under static and dynamic immersion

Abstract

Since the composition and abundance of microfouling communities that develop on antifouling coatings reduce the performance and efficiency of ship operations, microfouling was investigated during static and dynamic seawater immersion of four commercial antifouling coatings, of which three were biocide based (tributyltin self-polishing, copper self-polishing, copper ablative) and one was biocide free (silicone fouling release). The total bacterial counts were similar on all coatings after static immersion, but after dynamic immersion the largest decrease in numbers was seen on the fouling release coating. The bacterial population on the fouling release surface was also more heterogeneous than on the biocide-based coatings. After static immersion, diatom populations were dominated by Amphora, Navicula and Synedra; after dynamic immersion, no diatoms could be detected on the copper ablative coating and only Amphora was left on the fouling release coating.