Measuring the Performance of Today's Antifouling Coatings

The transfer from the self-polishing organotin to tin-free antifouling coatings has created a new learning curve for the shipping industry. This study investigated the hydrodynamic performance of four commercially available antifouling coatings that were subjected to both static and dynamic seawater immersion. The results showed that each coating type developed its own characteristic fouling community and that there were significant differences in drag properties that were further modified by the static or dynamic immersion conditions.