Lloyd’s Register reports that the International Maritime Authority (IMO) plans to prohibit the use or storage of fire extinguishing media (including firefighting foams) containing perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS).
PFOS is one of a class of chemicals known as “forever chemicals” that have been used in tens of thousands of products from non-stick pans to fire retardant clothing. They are extremely harmful to the environment and human health and their nickname comes from the fact that they never break down. In the future, Lloyd’s reports, IMO, the EU and other regulatory bodies may introduce further restrictions on the use of fire-extinguishing media containing other chemicals in the PFAS group, such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).
The prohibition applies to both fixed and portable systems and equipment and enters into force on 1 January 2026.
The new requirements apply to ships constructed on or after 1 January 2026. Ships constructed before then must comply with the requirement no later than the date of the first survey–the first inspection at the point at which a new instrument applies to an existing ship–on or after 1 January 2026.
Disposal of the prohibited substances must be done using appropriate shore-based reception facilities. The new rules say fire-extinguishing media manufacturers should share information about the extinguishing media such as, but not limited to–type, production period, batch number and reference. This information must be kept onboard and made available to attending surveyors for review and verification that the fire-extinguishing media does not contain PFOS in concentrations above 10 mg/kg (0.001% by weight).
When this information is not available sampling and testing of the extinguishing media onboard should be required to be conducted in accordance with a recognized standard to verify that the firefighting media does not contain PFOS in concentrations above 10 mg/kg (0.001% by weight).
