SOLAS 1974: INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE SAFETY OF LIFE AT SEA

Among all the international conventions relating to maritime safety, the most important is undoubtedly the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).

Together with the STCW 1978 Training Convention, the MARPOL 1973/78 Convention, and the MLC 2006 Convention, they form a legal structure known as "The 4 Pillars of the International Maritime Industry".
It is also one of the oldest, since its first version was adopted at a Conference held in London on November 1, 1914.

The second SOLAS was adopted in 1929 and entered into force in 1933; the third was adopted in 1948 and entered into force in 1952; the fourth was adopted (under the auspices of IMO) in 1960 and entered into force in 1965; while the current version was adopted in 1974 and entered into force on May 25, 1980. 

As we can see, SOLAS 1974 has been modified on numerous occasions, with the purpose of keeping it permanently updated. The version currently in force is known as "SOLAS Convention, 1974, as amended".

Successive SOLAS conventions have paid attention to various aspects of safety of navigation and safety of life at sea. The 1914 version, for example, included chapters on safety of navigation, construction, radiotelegraphy, life-saving appliances and fire prevention. 

The period of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was the peak period for passenger transport by sea, as there were no airplanes and emigration from Europe to the Americas and other parts of the world was still taking place on a large scale.

In that context, passenger ships represented a much more common means of locomotion than they do today, and accidents often resulted in great loss of life. During that period, the average annual casualty rate as a result of accidents involving British ships alone was between 700 and 800.

The event that led to the convening of the 1914 International Conference on Safety at Sea (SOLAS) was the sinking of the White Star liner Titanic during its maiden voyage in April 1912. More than 1,500 people perished, including passengers and crew, and the disaster raised so many questions about existing safety standards that the United Kingdom government proposed an international conference to develop new regulations. The Conference was attended by representatives from 13 countries, and this first version of the Convention was adopted on January 20, 1914.

SOLAS introduced international standards on safety of navigation of all merchant ships; the provision of fire-resistant watertight bulkheads; life-saving appliances and fire prevention and extinguishing appliances on passenger ships. Also, the installation of radiotelegraphy equipment on ships carrying more than 50 persons (if the Titanic's distress messages had not been picked up by other ships, the loss of life would probably have been much greater). 
The Conference also agreed to establish an ice monitoring service in the North Atlantic.

The Convention was to enter into force in July 1915, but the outbreak of World War I postponed its commencement. Nevertheless, many of its provisions were voluntarily adopted by various nations.

In 1927, proposals were made for a new Conference, which took place in London in 1929, with representatives from 18 countries. The Conference adopted a new SOLAS Convention that conformed to the 1914 version, but included several new rules, which entered into force in 1933.

By 1948, technical advances rendered the 1929 version of the Convention obsolete and, once again, the United Kingdom hosted an international conference at which the third SOLAS Convention was adopted, which followed the established pattern but covered a wider range of ships and in greater detail.

It introduced important improvements, such as watertight compartmentation on passenger ships; stability standards; maintenance of essential services in case of emergency; structural fire protection, including three alternative methods of compartmentation by means of fire-resistant bulkheads, and trunks to protect main stairways. 

An International Equipment Safety Certificate was introduced for cargo ships of 500 gross tonnage and above, an indication of the growing importance of cargo ships relative to passenger ships, which were already beginning to be affected by competition from aviation.

The regulations on boarding and the rules relating to the safety of navigation were also revised, and the meteorological and ice-monitoring services were updated. A separate chapter dealing with the carriage of grain and dangerous goods, including explosives, was included. Considerable progress had been made in radiocommunications since 1929, a fact that was taken into account in the 1948 Convention.

SOLAS Convention Objective.

The main objective of the SOLAS Convention is to establish minimum standards for the construction, equipment and operation of ships, consistent with their safety. Flag States are responsible for ensuring that ships flying their flag comply with the provisions of the Convention, which requires the issuance of a series of certificates as proof that this has been done.

The monitoring provisions also allow Contracting Governments to inspect ships of other Contracting States if there are reasonable grounds to believe that a given ship, and its equipment, does not substantially comply with the requirements of the Convention, this procedure being known as "port State control".

The current version of the SOLAS Convention contains provisions establishing general obligations, amendment procedures and other provisions, accompanied by an Annex divided into 14 Chapters.

Chapter I - General Provisions. 
This chapter contains rules relating to the survey of various types of ships and the issuance of documents certifying that the ship complies with the requirements of the Convention. This chapter also includes provisions for the supervision of ships in ports of other Contracting Governments.

Chapter II-1 - Construction - Compartmentation and stability, machinery installations and electrical installations. 

The subdivision of passenger ships into watertight compartments is to be so designed that, after the assumed damage to the hull of the ship, the ship remains afloat and in a position of stability. Standards are also laid down for watertight integrity and bilge circuit arrangement for passenger ships, as well as stability requirements for passenger and cargo ships.

The degree of subdivision - measured from the maximum permissible distance between two adjacent bulkheads - varies with the length of the ship and the service for which it is intended. The highest degree is applicable to passenger ships.

The standards for machinery and electrical installations are intended to ensure that essential services for the safety of the ship, passengers and crew are maintained in various emergency situations.

In 2010, the "goal-based standards" for oil tankers and bulk carriers were adopted, stating that new ships must be designed and built for a specific design life, and must be safe and environmentally sound, both in intact and under certain damage conditions, throughout their service life.

These rules stipulate that ships must have adequate strength, integrity and stability to minimize the risk of loss of the ship and pollution to the marine environment due to structural failure, including dismemberment, which may result in flooding or loss of watertight integrity.

Chapter II-2 - Fire prevention, detection and extinguishing.
This chapter contains fire safety provisions applicable to all ships, including specific measures in relation to passenger ships, cargo ships and tankers.

The following principles are established: division of the ship into main and vertical zones by means of insulated structural boundary bulkheads; separation between accommodation spaces and the rest of the ship by means of insulated structural boundary bulkheads; restricted use of combustible materials; detection of any fire in the area in which it originates; containment and extinguishing of any fire in the space in which it originates; protection of means of escape and access to fire fighting positions; prompt availability of fire extinguishing appliances; minimization of the risk of ignition of cargo gases.

Chapter III - Rescue devices and means.
This chapter contains rules relating to life-saving appliances and appliances, including lifeboats, rescue boats and life jackets, depending on the type of ship. The International Life-Saving Appliances Code (IDS Code) establishes specific technical standards for life-saving appliances, which are mandatory in that all life-saving appliances and means shall comply with the applicable requirements of the IDS Code.

Chapter IV - Radiocommunications.
This chapter incorporates the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). All passenger and cargo ships of 300 gross tonnage and above, engaged on international voyages, shall carry equipment designed to improve the chances of rescue following an accident, including satellite-based casualty locator beacons (SCRs) and search and rescue responders (SARs) used for the location of ships or survival craft.

The rules in Chapter IV deal with commitments made by governments for the provision of radiocommunication services, as well as requirements relating to the carriage of radiocommunication equipment on board ships. This chapter is closely linked to the Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunication Union.

Chapter V - Safety of Navigation.
Chapter V indicates certain safety of navigation services to be provided by Contracting Governments, and contains provisions of an operational nature generally applicable to all ships engaged on all classes of voyages.

The subjects dealt with in this chapter include the maintenance of meteorological services for ships; the ice watch service; the organization of traffic; and the provision of search and rescue services.

It also stipulates the obligation of masters to render assistance to those in distress, and the obligation of Contracting Governments to take measures to ensure that, from the standpoint of safety, all ships are adequately and competently manned.

Also, the carriage of voyage data recorders (VDRs) and automatic identification systems (AIS) on board ships is made mandatory.