Controlling Marine Fouling with Antifouling Paints and Underwater Hull Cleaning

trolling marine fouling on ships’ hulls has been considered essential since the earliest days of marine transport. It has been estimated that without any attempt to control fouling, shipping would require 40% more power, equal to about 72 million tonnes of additional fuel per year.1 Therefore, without an effective antifouling system, today’s marine transport industry would undoubtedly grind to a halt, not just because of the increased cost of bunkers but also because ship propulsion systems are not designed to maintain the extra power required for the normal speed of the ship when there is heavy fouling. While there is general acceptance that some means of fouling control is essential, this is difficult to reconcile with ever-stricter controls on the content and use of antifouling paints. This article presents an alternative: the combined use of low surface energy antifoulings, which are less toxic than traditional fouling-control coatings, along with regular underwater cleaning of ship hulls.