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Policy Letter: Foam Fire Extinguishing Systems and Portable Foam Extinguishers – Guidance on SOLAS Regulations Prohibiting PFOS

Dec. 17, 2025

The Office of Design and Engineering Standards (CG-ENG) has issued Policy Letter 04-25, Foam Fire Extinguishing Systems and Portable Foam Extinguishers – Guidance on SOLAS Regulations Prohibiting PFOS.

This policy letter provides guidance on how the Coast Guard or a Recognized Organization (RO) will verify compliance with the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations for fire extinguishing media containing perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) entering into force on January 1, 2026. While SOLAS requirements are not necessarily reflected in U.S. law, this guidance is intended to describe the process by which vessels subject to foreign port state control examinations can maintain SOLAS compliance and alleviate any related concerns.

A complete list of ENG Policy Letters can be found at the following link. https://www.dco.uscg.mil/ENG/Policy/

For any questions, please contact CGENG@uscg.mil.

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policy CG-ENG

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This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official publications, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These publications remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.