<p>Due to its good mechanical properties, carbon steel is one of the commonly used structural materials. Nevertheless, carbon steel is susceptible to deterioration in the marine environment by the combined interaction of corrosive ions and microorganisms. Therefore, in the present study, a superhydrophobic (SHP) graphene oxide (GO) based coating on carbon steel is developed and this coating is intended to protect the substrate from the aggressive corrosive environment. A composite coating of GO flakes, zirconia nanoparticles (ZrO₂) and silane solution was coated on carbon steel substrates using dip coating and obtained a maximum water contact angle (WCA) of 169 ± 1°. Morphology and composition of SHP composite coating obtained from microscopy and spectroscopy studies were correlated to their non-wetting property. The corrosion protection performance of GO-ZrO₂-silane coated SHP carbon steel was found to be better than the uncoated carbon steel in chloride solution. Bacterial adhesion studies in two different bacterial cultures showed that the total viable count of bacterial cells on GO-ZrO₂-silane coated SHP carbon steel samples was 4 to 5 orders less than that of the uncoated carbon steel samples. This study paves the way for new approaches to address corrosion and biofouling of carbon steel in aqueous conditions.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>