Biofouling on a ship´s hull has an enormous economic impact on its operation. Increasing biofouling leads to the introduction and spread of invasive species, an elevated frictional drag in the water, an increased fuel consumption and thus an additional emission of greenhouse gases. In this context, the prevention or removal of biofouling is essential. Conventional, mechanical in-water-cleaning methods have several ecological and regulatory disadvantages. In the context of a laser-based underwater ship cleaning, which is currently under development, we investigated the interaction between laser radiation and a self-polishing copolymer antifouling coating. Important process parameters were investigated to determine the laser power damage threshold of the SPC coating. This includes the measurement of the reflection- and the surface properties of the SPC coating.