Fluorine-Free Firefighting Foam: Choosing a Shipboard AFFF Replacement Before the Deadline

A regulatory deadline is closing in on legacy firefighting foam. Here’s what operators should know about the shift away from PFAS-based AFFF and what to look for in a replacement.

For 60 years, Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) has been the default answer to shipboard fires. It works because of PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – that give AFFF its rapid film-forming power. It’s also the reason AFFF’s days at sea are numbered: PFAS are “forever chemicals,” persistent in the environment, and some research has linked them to elevated cancer risk.