Antifouling paint is a type of coating applied to submerged ship surfaces to prevent and inhibit the growth of marine organisms. This study assesses the efficacy of inorganic antifouling coatings in preventing bacterial and marine biota growth on ship surfaces operating in tropical waters. Laboratory analyses using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and diffusion methods, as well as a systematic literature review, were conducted to assess the performance of the coatings. Three types of test samples were analyzed in the laboratory: antibacterial coating, inorganic antifouling coating, and inorganic antifouling coating that had not yet been applied to ship surfaces. The study revealed the presence of consistent functional groups, including aliphatic stretching, carbonyl groups, and aromatic structures, indicating the presence of synthetic resins, esters, and bioactive compounds in both antibacterial and antifouling coatings. How-ever, the study also showed chemical degradation in the antibacterial and antifouling coatings that had been exposed to marine environments, which affected their performance. In contrast, the unused inorganic antifouling coating demonstrated significant effectiveness in inhibiting the formation of bacterial communities. Although the potential impacts of inorganic antifouling coatings on the marine ecosystem have not yet been identified, these findings suggest that inorganic antifouling coatings show promising performance in integrating chemical and microbiological properties to inhibit bacterial growth and biofouling. Nonetheless, further studies are essential to evaluate their long-term environmental impact.