FOULING INHIBITION

A process for inhibiting the fouling of a substrate in a fouling environment , which comprises forming on the substrate, before exposure to the said environment, a coating comprising a film-forming polymer (A) carrying unreacted curable silicon-containing functional groups providing latent reactivity, and thereafter applying a layer comprising a curable polymeric fouling-inhibiting material (B), more especially a curable polysiloxane or a curable fluorine-containing polymer, and bonding the applied layer to the said coating by a condensation curing reaction involving the unreacted functional groups thereon. The initial coating can be applied over a range of worn or damaged anti-fouling coatings. The sequential application of layers is a simpler, more flexible a nd more controllable procedure than is offered by complex systems designed to produce outer siloxane-rich regions. Relatively long latency periods are achievable.