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Fixed fire systemsLesson 3 of 8

Foam systems and foam concentrate analysis

You will know the foam systems on tankers, engine rooms and ro-ro decks, how foam concentrate ages, and how to sample, test and record it so it still works when needed.

16 minutes · For signed-up learners, free · Rules checked 20 October 2026

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Foam concentrate is the one fire-fighting medium on board that quietly goes off. It sits in a tank for years, in a hot pump-room or on deck in the sun, and slowly separates, forms sludge or changes its chemistry. Nothing on the outside of the tank tells you. The only way to know whether the foam in your deck foam system would still make a blanket on burning crude oil is to take a sample and test it.

That is why IMO asks for a periodical laboratory analysis of foam concentrate, first within three years of supply and then every year. Since 1 January 2026 there is a second reason to know exactly what is in the tank: SOLAS now bans foam containing PFOS, a persistent and toxic chemical once common in film-forming foams.

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The rest of this lesson, the interactive Foam system records and walk-round on a product tanker and the quiz are open to signed-up learners. It's free, takes a minute, and opens every lesson in all 14 courses.

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In this lesson

  • Try it: Foam system records and walk-round on a product tanker
  • In plain words
  • In detail
  • What the rules say
  • Flag and class notes
  • Key numbers
  • What inspectors find
  • Questions people ask
  • Quiz: 6 questions

Sources

  1. 1 IMO MSC.1/Circ.1312, Revised guidelines for the performance and testing criteria, and surveys of foam concentrates for fixed fire-extinguishing systems (10 June 2009, corrected by MSC.1/Circ.1312/Corr.1), annex, sections 1.2, 2, 3.3, 3.5, 4 and 5. https://www.register-iri.com/wp-content/uploads/MSC.1-Circ.1312.pdf
  2. 2 IMO MSC.1/Circ.1432, Revised guidelines for the maintenance and inspection of fire protection systems and appliances (31 May 2012), as amended by MSC.1/Circ.1516 (8 June 2015), annex, paragraphs 5.3, 6.2, 7.4, 7.11 and 9.2 (consolidated copy annexed to Cayman Islands Shipping Notice 01/2014 Rev 2). https://www.cishipping.com/system/files/notices/documents/CISN%202014_01%20Rev%202%20with%20Annex.pdf
  3. 3 International Code for Fire Safety Systems (FSS Code), chapter 6 as replaced by resolution MSC.327(90) (ships constructed on or after 1 January 2014), paragraphs 3.1.1, 3.1.7, 3.1.19, 3.4.2 and 4.1; and chapter 14 (fixed deck foam systems, revised for ships constructed on or after 1 July 2014), paragraphs 2.2.1 and 2.2.2. Resolution MSC.327(90): https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.327(90).pdf
  4. 4 IMO Resolution MSC.532(107), Amendments to SOLAS 1974 (adopted 8 June 2023, in force 1 January 2026), annex, regulations II-2/1.2.10 and II-2/10.11. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.532(107).pdf
  5. 5 Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator, Marine Notice 2-011-14 (Rev. Aug/2025), sections 7 and 12. https://www.register-iri.com/wp-content/uploads/MN-2-011-14.pdf
  6. 6 Bahamas Maritime Authority, Marine Notice 79, Firefighting Equipment, version 2.2 (20 November 2025), section 12. https://www.classnk.or.jp/hp/pdf/activities/statutory/solas/solas_treaty/fire_protection/circular/ci_fi_bahama.pdf
  7. 7 Panama Maritime Authority, Merchant Marine Circular MMC-281, Guidelines for the maintenance, inspection of fire-protection system and appliances (October 2025), references. https://flagadmin.com/upload/userfiles/Panama/MMC-281-OCTOBER-2025-CM.pdf
  8. 8 IMO Resolution A.1186(33), Survey guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC), 2023 (adopted 6 December 2023), annex, (EP) 1.3.2.2. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/AssemblyDocuments/A.1186(33).pdf
  9. 9 Tokyo MOU, Report of the 2012 Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Fire Safety Systems (November 2013), section 3, question 5a. https://www.tokyo-mou.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/Final-Tokyo-MOU-Report-FSS-CIC-public-web-site.pdf
  10. 10 Liberian Registry, IMO MSC 110 meeting summary (2025), unified interpretations: MSC.1/Circ.1694 (PFOS restrictions, threshold value), effective 1 January 2026. https://www.liscr.com/marketing/liscr/media/liscr/online%20library/maritime/msc-110-meeting-summary.pdf

Free awareness training. Al Safwan Marine is not an approved training provider, so no certificate is given, and these courses are not a qualification. They don't replace STCW training, manufacturer training or the certification technicians need for this work. The manufacturer's manual and your flag's rules always come first.

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