Antifouling Coating
The final coat below the waterline, formulated to release biocide or resist adhesion so marine growth cannot take hold. Its performance decays on a schedule, and that schedule increasingly outlasts a vessel's drydocking interval.
What to check on an Antifouling Coating.
114 models from Hempel in Antifouling Coating. Below: the full model list.
What makes this type
Antifouling coating is the outermost layer of the underwater hull coating system, applied specifically to prevent barnacles, algae and other marine organisms from attaching and growing on the hull. Unlike the anticorrosive coats beneath it, whose job is to keep water off the steel, the antifouling coat's whole purpose is to interact with the water around it, either by releasing a controlled dose of biocide as it wears (self-polishing copolymer, SPC) or by presenting a low-friction silicone surface organisms cannot grip (foul-release). The choice between these two mechanisms shapes everything from application method to expected in-service performance.
Legend
- seawater
- steel hull plate
- primer
- anticorrosive coat
- biocide release
- tie coat
- antifouling topcoat
- waterline reference
Main components
Self-polishing copolymer systems
A binder that erodes slowly in seawater, continuously exposing fresh biocide at the surface and shedding a thin layer of paint over time, which also keeps the hull relatively smooth as it wears.
Biocide-free foul-release systems
Silicone or fluoropolymer coatings that rely on surface energy and elasticity rather than biocide release; organisms that do attach are removed by the shear forces of water flow once the vessel is underway at speed.
Read the full guide
Tie coat
An intermediate coat that bonds the antifouling layer to the anticorrosive system beneath it, particularly important with foul-release systems where adhesion between dissimilar coating chemistries is otherwise poor.
Selection / Sizing
- Vessel speed and activity profile, since foul-release coatings depend on regular underway speed to stay effective, while SPC systems work at anchor and in port as well.
- Trading pattern, as vessels with long idle periods in warm, biologically active ports need a formulation matched to that exposure.
- Intended drydocking interval, since the coating's biocide reserve or surface life must cover the full period between dockings.
- Compatibility with the existing anticorrosive system and tie coat if the coating is being changed at the next docking.
Regulations / Class
The IMO International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships (AFS Convention) bans the use of organotin compounds such as TBT in antifouling systems, a restriction that reshaped the market toward copper-based SPC and biocide-free alternatives. Class societies do not typically approve antifouling products directly, but performance and drydocking planning are reviewed as part of the vessel's hull condition and the owner's biofouling management plan, which some flag states and port states now expect to see documented.
Typical faults
| Fault | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Coating applied over an incompatible or poorly prepared tie coat | Delamination, patches of bare anticorrosive exposed early |
| SPC system on a vessel with long idle periods and low speed | Insufficient polishing rate, biocide release falls off before drydocking |
| Foul-release coating on a slow or frequently idle vessel | Fouling settles and is never sheared off by flow |
| Under-thickness application at the waterline and boot top | Premature fouling exactly where drag has the largest effect on fuel consumption |
What to look for in a supplier
- A documented performance guarantee tied to the vessel's actual speed and idle profile, not a generic drydocking interval.
- Confirmed compatibility with the coating already on the hull if this is not a full strip to bare steel.
- Application specification including dry film thickness at the waterline and boot top, the areas most exposed to wear.
Match the coating type to how the ship is actually operated, not how it was designed to operate; a foul-release hull spending months laid up will foul just as badly as an unpainted one.
Models in this type.
The best-documented model of each manufacturer first, then the next — 100 of 114 models in Antifouling Coating. Every row links to full specifications, documents and service notes.
Manufacturers.
All 34 manufacturers with models of Antifouling Coating. Names with a manufacturer page open it; the others open a search across the full library.
All manufacturers in the library- AkzoNobel India Limited5
- Avance MFG Pte. Ltd.2
- Berger Paints Singapore Pte Ltd3
- Carboline2
- Chugoku Marine Paints42
- Corporación Peruana de Productos Quimicos S.A. - CPPQ1
- Daban Technology (ChangXing) Company Limited1
- Euronavy Engineering1
- Hempel114
- IMPARAT Farbwerk Iversen & Mähl GmbH & Co. KG3
- International / AkzoNobel19
- International Paint56
- PROTECH Coatings & Construction Chemicals3
- Shanghai Hilong Shine New Materials Co., Ltd.9
- Shanghai New Health and New Material Technology Co., Ltd.1
- Sherwin-Williams Marine34
- SUZHOU JIREN HIGH-TECH MATERIALS CO., LTD.1
- T&H Novel Materials Co., Ltd.2
- Tianjin Dowill Paints Technology Co., LTD2
- Wärtsilä1
- Wilckens Paints Factory S.A.1
- Xiamen SunRui Ship Coating Co., Ltd.12
Also in Paint & Coating Systems.
The other equipment types in this category.
Write to us about this model — the answer comes by e-mail.
Name the make and the model and what the job is: a spare, a service call, a second opinion on a data sheet. We answer by e-mail.
No details at hand? A photo of the rating plate or the part is enough — simply attach it to the request.
Questions that come up with this equipment.
Is Antifouling Coating data free?
Yes. Every model page, every guide and every datasheet for this type is readable without an account. An account adds saved searches and requests, nothing is taken away.
My model is missing — what now?
Send us the nameplate. We identify it by hand, add it to the library, and if you need a part or a service, the request is already on our desk.
Can you source a Antifouling Coating part?
Yes. Tell us the manufacturer, the model and what you need — a person reads every request and replies by e-mail.