The fire fighting agents are: Water is the most common cooling agent. This is largely because water possesses very good heat absorbing qualities and is available in sample quantities at terminals and on ships

Foam is an aggregation of small bubbles, of lower specific gravity than oil or water, which flows across the surface of a burning liquid and forms a coherent smothering blanket. It will also reduce the surface temperature of the liquid by the absorption of some heat.

• Carbon dioxide is an excellent smothering agent for extinguishing fires, when used in conditions where it will not be widely diffused. Carbon dioxide is therefore effective in enclosed areas such as machinery spaces, pumprooms and electrical switch rooms where it can penetrate into places that cannot be reached by other means.
• Dry chemical powder is discharged from an extinguisher as a free flowing cloud. It is most effective in dealing with a fire resulting from an oil spill on a jetty or on the deck of a chemical tanker and can also be used in confined spaces. It is especially useful on burning liquids escaping from leaking pipelines and joints
• Alcohol-resistant foam extinguishing agents possess low-expansion properties and are adaptable to various low expansion foam generators. Alcohol-resistant foam extinguishing agents may be used in chemical tankers where water-soluble flammable liquids such as alcohol, ester, ether, aldehyde, ketone, and organic acids