SOLAS

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, requires flag States to ensure that their ships comply with minimum safety standards in construction, equipment and operation. It includes articles setting out general obligations, etcetera, followed by an annexe divided into twelve chapters. Of these, chapter five (often called 'SOLAS V') is the only one that applies to all vessels on the sea, including private yachts and small craft on local trips as well as to commercial vessels on international passages. Many countries have turned these international requirements into national laws so that anybody on the sea who is in breach of SOLAS V requirements may find themselves subject to legal proceedings.

• Chapter I – General Provisions
• Chapter II-1 – Construction – Subdivision and stability, machinery and electrical installations
• Chapter II-2 – Fire protection, fire detection and fire extinction
• Chapter III – Life-saving appliances and arrangements
• Chapter IV – Radiocommunications
• Chapter V – Safety of navigation
• Chapter VI – Carriage of Cargoes
• Chapter VII – Carriage of dangerous goods
• Chapter VIII – Nuclear ships
• Chapter IX – Management for the Safe Operation of Ships
• Chapter X – Safety measures for high-speed craft
• Chapter XI-1 – Special measures to enhance maritime safety
• Chapter XI-2 – Special measures to enhance maritime security
• Includes the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code).
• Chapter XII – Additional safety measures for bulk carriers
• Chapter XIII - Verification of compliance. Makes mandatory from 1 January 2016 the IMO Member State Audit Scheme.
• Chapter XIV - Safety measures for ships operating in polar waters. The chapter makes mandatory, from 1 January 2017, the Introduction and part I-A of the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (the Polar Code).