What does SOLAS approved actually mean?

What does SOLAS approved actually mean?

SOLAS stands for the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, the International Maritime Organization treaty that sets minimum safety requirements for ships. When equipment is described as SOLAS approved, it means it has been type-tested and certified against those requirements, not simply that it is good quality.

The short answer

• Commercial vessels covered by SOLAS must carry approved equipment. The approval is a legal requirement, checked at survey and at port state control.
• Recreational boats are generally not covered by SOLAS. They follow national and EU recreational craft rules instead.
• Charter and workboats fall in between and depend on flag state rules, vessel size and the area of operation.

How to recognise real approval

In the European Union, marine equipment approved under the Marine Equipment Directive carries the wheelmark, a ship’s wheel symbol, together with a notified body number and the year of application. Approved products come with a certificate. A product that says “SOLAS type” or “SOLAS style” without a mark and a certificate is not approved equipment.

What approval covers

Approval is granted to a specific product in a specific configuration. Changing a component, or servicing the product outside an approved procedure, can void it. This matters most for inflatable lifejackets and liferafts, which need periodic servicing by an approved station to remain valid.

Approval expires in practice

The certificate does not run forever, and neither does the equipment. Lifebuoys degrade under UV, lifejacket cylinders lose charge, and lights have battery expiry dates printed on them. A vessel carrying expired equipment is non-compliant even though the equipment was approved when purchased. Check expiry dates as part of your annual inspection, not at survey.

Common items that need approval

• Lifejackets and immersion suits
• Lifebuoys and their lights and lines
• Lifejacket lights
• Liferafts and launching equipment
• Pyrotechnics and signalling equipment

Not sure whether it applies to you?

The answer depends on your flag state, vessel size and where you operate, and getting it wrong is expensive at survey. Tell us the vessel and the trade at info@maritiem-winkel.nl and we will tell you what our SOLAS range covers.