Biofouling constitutes a great problem and is a major cost-carrier for the entire marine industry. The nature of marine biofouling is the rapid colonisation of microorganisms on marine surfaces and subsequent plant and animal colonisation taking place.
Any surface exposed to seawater will soon be covered by a film of polysaccharides and other molecules which attract microorganisms to form a water gel or “slime” on the surface. Marine plants, primarily green and red algae follow and adhere to the surface with their sophisticated attachment organs.
In parallel with the fouling of algae, hard fouling is established through the settling of barnacles and other shell builders.
Hard fouling in general, and barnacles in particular, represent a great challenge to antifouling coatings as they are more resilient to biocides than many other marine organisms. Hard fouling appears in virtually all open sea waters, they adhere to ship hulls with a greater force than other organisms and they grow to a considerable size once established on a surface.
It is obvious that the practical and economical consequences of biofouling are significant for the marine installations and vessels affected.
For the shipping industry, for whom a clean and smooth hull is vital for speed performance and fuel efficiency, biofouling is an adverse effect. The costs associated with cleaning and re-painting hulls and marine installations are very high due to the absence of revenues during periods of dry-docking, the high costs associated with dry-docking as well as the anti-fouling paint work and the paint itself.
Over the last decades, the knowledge of the consequences of migration of marine species between geographical areas has increased. Sensitive marine ecosystems, for example the coastal waters of Australia, have been invaded by foreign species that have irreversibly altered the biological balance causing permanent harm to the local ecosystem with unpredictable consequences on the long term. Novel research has revealed that biofouling is, alongside the handling of ballast water, the major contributing factor to this global problem.