Noor islam (Kyungpook National University)

Sunghwan Kim (Kyungpook National University)

Noor islam (Kyungpook National University)

Imran Shafique (Kyungpook National University)

Sunghwan Kim (Kyungpook National University)

Fishing ports experience intense ship-hull maintenance and coating activity, yet most sediment studies rely on a few targeted or pre-selected legacy pollutants, leaving their chemical footprint poorly resolved. To address this gap, 18 sediment and 12 activity-specific source samples from Jumunjin Port, including a ship-hull maintenance facility, were analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS)-based non-targeted analysis. A total of 371 compounds were identified (149 in ESI⁺, 222 in ESI⁻), of which 21 were linked to coating-related activities based on their documented usage and abundance at the ship-hull maintenance facility. Among these, doramectin and ethofumesate were identified as booster biocides not previously reported in marine sediments, extending the antifouling biocide inventory. Seven ship-coating-related compounds, i.e., diuron, tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate, bisphenol A bis(2,3-dihydroxypropyl) ether, bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) sebacate, 1,2-diphenylethanone, tralopyril, and erucamide, were confirmed and quantified against reference standards, showing pronounced enrichment from point-source input. Notably, these contaminants persisted despite an engineered seawater exchange system intended to improve circulation, suggesting water-column interventions do not necessarily prevent sediment-phase accumulation. Future work will apply source apportionment and ecological risk assessment using risk quotients to evaluate the impact of these contaminants on marine biota. Together, by coupling non-targeted analysis with spatial distribution, this study extends fishing port sediment characterization beyond legacy-pollutant monitoring and identifies candidate biocide markers relevant to coastal antifouling regulation.