Surface seawater (∼ 1 m) samples were collected at 33 stations from the Arabian Sea and analysed for suspended matter (SM) and particulate organic carbon (POC). Microfouling material from aluminium panels at the same stations was analysed for dry weight and/or organic carbon. Microfouling biomass (as dry weight and/or organic carbon) as well as SM and POC of surface seawater varied from station to station. Generally, microfouling biomass was higher in shelf waters as compared to slope and oceanic waters. There was a highly significant relationship between the SM of the seawater and the dry weight of microfouling material (r= 0–84;P≤0.001), as well as between the POC of the seawater and the organic carbon of the fouling material (r=0.74 and 0.84;P≤0.001). Microfouling biomass on aluminium panels in deep oceanic waters (1000 and 2400 m) was very low compared with that on panels in surface seawater ( ∼ 1 m). Somewhat higher values of microfouling were recorded at 2400 m as compared with 1000 m. The data suggest that the SM and POC of the surface seawater play an important role in influencing at least the initial stages of microfouling at these stations.