AbstractStatic immersion tests are commonly used to evaluate the performance of marine coatings prior to use on ship hulls or for other applications. Although these tests provide valuable data, they do not expose the coatings to the hydrodynamic and fouling conditions that
will be present when a ship is underway, thus making it difficult to extrapolate results to ship hull performance. The present study reports data for two commercially available ship hull coatings (one antifouling and one fouling release coating) exposed concurrently to static and dynamic ocean
conditions for 4 months. Coatings that were exposed to static conditions developed macrofouling communities dominated by tubeworms, tunicates, and encrusting bryozoans. The coatings subjected to dynamic conditions were fouled only by biofilms and green macroalgae. The results show a difference
in coating performance depending on immersion environment (static vs. dynamic) as well as coating type. This highlights the importance of utilizing dynamic testing concurrently with static immersion in coating evaluation to better understand how the system will respond to hydrodynamic stresses.
Knowing how a coating performs under various real-world conditions can help drive ship hull management and determine which coating is appropriate for the ship's operational schedule.