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The
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (
SOLAS)
is an international maritime safety treaty. It ensures that ships
flagged by signatory States comply with minimum safety standards in
construction, equipment and operation. The SOLAS Convention in its
successive forms is generally regarded as the most important of all
international treaties concerning the safety of merchant ships.
History
Origin and early versions
The first version of the treaty was passed in 1914 in response to the sinking of the RMS
Titanic. It prescribed numbers of lifeboats and other emergency equipment along with safety procedures, including continuous radio watches.
The 1914 treaty never entered into force due to the outbreak of the First World War.
Newer versions were adopted in 1929 and 1948.
1960 version
The 1960 Convention – which entered into force on 27 May 1965 – was the first major achievement for International Maritime Organization
(IMO) after its creation. The 1960 version represented a major advance
in updating commercial shipping regulations and in staying up-to-date
with new technology and procedures in the industry.
1974 version
The intention had been to keep the Convention up to date by periodic
amendments, but the procedure to incorporate the amendments proved to be
very slow: it could take several years for the amendments to be put
into action since countries had to give notice of acceptance to IMO and there was a minimum threshold of countries and tonnage.
As a result, a complete new convention was adopted in 1974 which
includes all the agreements and acceptable procedures. Even though the
Convention was updated and amended numerous times, the Convention in
force today is sometimes referred to as SOLAS, 1974.
The 1974 version simplified the process for amending the treaty. A
number of amendments have been adopted since. The latest Convention in
1974 included the "tacit acceptance" procedure whereby amendments enter
into force by default unless nations file objections that meet a certain
number or tonnage.
In 1975 the assembly of the IMO decided that the 1974 convention should in future use SI units only.
1988 version
In particular, amendments in 1988 based on amendments of International Radio Regulations in 1987 replaced Morse code with the Global Maritime Distress Safety System
(GMDSS) and came into force beginning 1 February 1992. An idea of the
range of issues covered by the treaty can be gained from the list of
sections (below).
Later amendments
The up-to-date list of amendments to SOLAS is maintained by the IMO. As of April 2013, the most recent amendment dates from May 2011.
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974
Adoption: 1 November 1974; Entry into force: 25 May 1980
The
SOLAS Convention in its successive forms is generally regarded as the
most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of
merchant ships. The first version was adopted in 1914, in response to
the Titanic disaster, the second in 1929, the third in 1948, and the
fourth in 1960. The 1974 version includes the tacit acceptance procedure
- which provides that an amendment shall enter into force on a
specified date unless, before that date, objections to the amendment are
received from an agreed number of Parties.
As a result the 1974 Convention has been updated and amended on
numerous occasions. The Convention in force today is sometimes referred
to as SOLAS, 1974, as amended.
Technical provisions
The
main objective of the SOLAS Convention is to specify minimum standards
for the construction, equipment and operation of ships, compatible with
their safety. Flag States are responsible for ensuring that ships under
their flag comply with its requirements, and a number of certificates
are prescribed in the Convention as proof that this has been done.
Control provisions also allow Contracting Governments to inspect ships
of other Contracting States if there are clear grounds for believing
that the ship and its equipment do not substantially comply with the
requirements of the Convention - this procedure is known as port State
control.The current SOLAS Convention includes Articles setting out
general obligations, amendment procedure and so on, followed by an Annex
divided into 12 Chapters.
Chapter I - General Provisions
Includes
regulations concerning the survey of the various types of ships and the
issuing of documents signifying that the ship meets the requirements of
the Convention. The Chapter also includes provisions for the control of
ships in ports of other Contracting Governments.
Chapter II-1 - Construction - Subdivision and stability, machinery and electrical installations
The
subdivision of passenger ships into watertight compartments must be
such that after assumed damage to the ship's hull the vessel will remain
afloat and stable. Requirements for watertight integrity and bilge
pumping arrangements for passenger ships are also laid down as well as
stability requirements for both passenger and cargo ships.
The degree of subdivision - measured by the maximum permissible
distance between two adjacent bulkheads - varies with ship's length and
the service in which it is engaged. The highest degree of subdivision
applies to passenger ships.
Requirements covering machinery and electrical installations are
designed to ensure that services which are essential for the safety of
the ship, passengers and crew are maintained under various emergency
conditions.
"Goal-based standards" for oil tankers and bulk carriers were
adopted in 2010, requiring new ships to be designed and constructed for
a specified design life and to be safe and environmentally friendly, in
intact and specified damage conditions, throughout their life. Under
the regulation, ships should have adequate strength, integrity and
stability to minimize the risk of loss of the ship or pollution to the
marine environment due to structural failure, including collapse,
resulting in flooding or loss of watertight integrity.
Chapter II-2 - Fire protection, fire detection and fire extinction
Includes detailed fire safety provisions for all ships and specific measures for passenger ships, cargo ships and tankers.
They include the following principles: division of the ship into
main and vertical zones by thermal and structural boundaries; separation
of accommodation spaces from the remainder of the ship by thermal and
structural boundaries; restricted use of combustible materials;
detection of any fire in the zone of origin; containment and extinction
of any fire in the space of origin; protection of the means of escape or
of access for fire-fighting purposes; ready availability of
fire-extinguishing appliances; minimization of the possibility of
ignition of flammable cargo vapour.
Chapter III - Life-saving appliances and arrangements
The
Chapter includes requirements for life-saving appliances and
arrangements, including requirements for life boats, rescue boats and
life jackets according to type of ship. The International Life-Saving
Appliance (LSA) Code gives specific technical requirements for LSAs and
is mandatory under Regulation 34, which states that all life-saving
appliances and arrangements shall comply with the applicable
requirements of the LSA Code.
Chapter IV - Radiocommunications
The
Chapter incorporates the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
(GMDSS). All passenger ships and all cargo ships of 300 gross tonnage
and upwards on international voyages are required to carry equipment
designed to improve the chances of rescue following an accident,
including satellite emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs)
and search and rescue transponders (SARTs) for the location of the ship
or survival craft.
Regulations in Chapter IV cover undertakings by contracting
governments to provide radiocommunication services as well as ship
requirements for carriage of radiocommunications equipment. The Chapter
is closely linked to the Radio Regulations of the International
Telecommunication Union.
Chapter V - Safety of navigation
Chapter
V identifies certain navigation safety services which should be
provided by Contracting Governments and sets forth provisions of an
operational nature applicable in general to all ships on all voyages.
This is in contrast to the Convention as a whole, which only applies to
certain classes of ship engaged on international voyages.
The subjects covered include the maintenance of meteorological
services for ships; the ice patrol service; routeing of ships; and the
maintenance of search and rescue services.
This Chapter also includes a general obligation for masters to
proceed to the assistance of those in distress and for Contracting
Governments to ensure that all ships shall be sufficiently and
efficiently manned from a safety point of view.
The chapter makes mandatory the carriage of voyage data recorders (VDRs) and automatic ship identification systems (AIS).
Chapter VI - Carriage of Cargoes
The
Chapter covers all types of cargo (except liquids and gases in bulk)
"which, owing to their particular hazards to ships or persons on board,
may require special precautions". The regulations include requirements
for stowage and securing of cargo or cargo units (such as containers).
The Chapter requires cargo ships carrying grain to comply with the
International Grain Code.
Chapter VII - Carriage of dangerous goods
The regulations are contained in three parts:
Part A - Carriage of dangerous goods in packaged form - includes
provisions for the classification, packing, marking, labelling and
placarding, documentation and stowage of dangerous goods. Contracting
Governments are required to issue instructions at the national level and
the Chapter makes mandatory the International Maritime Dangerous Goods
(IMDG) Code, developed by IMO, which is constantly updated to
accommodate new dangerous goods and to supplement or revise existing
provisions.
Part A-1 - Carriage of dangerous goods in solid form in bulk -
covers the documentation, stowage and segregation requirements for these
goods and requires reporting of incidents involving such goods.
Part B covers Construction and equipment of ships carrying
dangerous liquid chemicals in bulk and requires chemical tankers to
comply with the International Bulk Chemical Code (IBC Code).
Part C covers Construction and equipment of ships carrying
liquefied gases in bulk and gas carriers to comply with the requirements
of the International Gas Carrier Code (IGC Code).
Part D includes special requirements for the carriage of packaged
irradiated nuclear fuel, plutonium and high-level radioactive wastes on
board ships and requires ships carrying such products to comply with the
International Code for the Safe Carriage of Packaged Irradiated Nuclear
Fuel, Plutonium and High-Level Radioactive Wastes on Board Ships (INF
Code).
The chapter requires carriage of dangerous goods to be in
compliance with the relevant provisions of the International Maritime
Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code).
Chapter VIII - Nuclear ships
Gives
basic requirements for nuclear-powered ships and is particularly
concerned with radiation hazards. It refers to detailed and
comprehensive Code of Safety for Nuclear Merchant Ships which was
adopted by the IMO Assembly in 1981.
Chapter IX - Management for the Safe Operation of Ships
The
Chapter makes mandatory the International Safety Management (ISM) Code,
which requires a safety management system to be established by the
shipowner or any person who has assumed responsibility for the ship (the
"Company").
Chapter X - Safety measures for high-speed craft
The Chapter makes mandatory the International Code of Safety for High-Speed Craft (HSC Code).
Chapter XI-1 - Special measures to enhance maritime safety
The
Chapter clarifies requirements relating to authorization of recognized
organizations (responsible for carrying out surveys and inspections on
Administrations' behalves); enhanced surveys; ship identification number
scheme; and port State control on operational requirements.
Chapter XI-2 - Special measures to enhance maritime security
Regulation
XI-2/3 of the chapter enshrines the International Ship and Port
Facilities Security Code (ISPS Code). Part A of the Code is mandatory
and part B contains guidance as to how best to comply with the mandatory
requirements. Regulation XI-2/8 confirms the role of the Master in
exercising his professional judgement over decisions necessary to
maintain the security of the ship. It says he shall not be constrained
by the Company, the charterer or any other person in this respect.
Regulation XI-2/5 requires all ships to be provided with a ship
security alert system. ,Regulation XI-2/6 covers requirements for port
facilities, providing among other things for Contracting Governments to
ensure that port facility security assessments are carried out and that
port facility security plans are developed, implemented and reviewed in
accordance with the ISPS Code.Other regulations in this chapter cover
the provision of information to IMO, the control of ships in port,
(including measures such as the delay, detention, restriction of
operations including movement within the port, or expulsion of a ship
from port), and the specific responsibility of Companies.
Chapter XII - Additional safety measures for bulk carriers
The Chapter includes structural requirements for bulk carriers over 150 metres in length.
Amendments
The 1974 Convention has been amended many times to keep it up to date.
Amendments adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) are listed in MSC Resolutions.
