Silent Spill - maritime microplastics from vessel coatings.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Marine Pollution
• Materials Science

Background:

• Paint-derived particles are a major, yet poorly understood, source of marine microplastic pollution.
• Emissions from active vessels under routine operational conditions are not well characterized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the hypothesis that exposed deck coatings on operational ships continuously generate micro- and meso-particles.
• To characterize paint-derived particle emissions from different vessel types.

Main Methods:

• Collected samples from accumulation zones near drainage points on three vessel types.
• Analyzed size-fractionated material using microscopy, FTIR/NIR spectroscopy, and multispectral imaging.

Main Results:

• Over 90% of classified particles were paint-derived fragments or iron oxide-rich corrosion products.
• Consistent presence and dominance of coating-derived debris across offshore support vessels, container ships, and LNG carriers.
• Minor fraction of particles included synthetic polymer fibres and fragments.

Conclusions:

• Routine weathering of deck coatings on ships is an ongoing, unregulated source of micro-sized particulate pollution.
• Exposed ship superstructures represent an under--characterized emission pathway for marine pollution.
• Coating degradation should be included in ship-borne microplastic inventories and maritime sustainability frameworks.