The safety of life at sea convention (solas)
The first conference organized by IMO in 1960 adopted the International Convention
for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1960, which came into force in 1965 and covered a
wide range of measures designed to improve the safety of shipping. The provisions
of the convention cover: the design and stability of passenger and cargo ships;
machinery and electrical installations; fire protection; life-saving appliances; radio
communications; navigational safety; and the carriage of dangerous goods. SOLAS
was updated in 1974 and now incorporates an amendment procedure whereby the
convention can be updated to take account of changes in the shipping environment
without the major procedure of calling a conference. The 1974 SOLAS Convention
entered into force on 25 May 1980 and at 31 December 1996 had been ratified by
132 states. A protocol relating to the Convention in 1978 entered into force on 1
May 1981.
With the growing recognition that loss of life at sea and environmental pollution
are influenced by the way companies manage their fleets, in the 1990s IMO took
steps to regulate the standards of management in the shipping industry. At the
SOLAS Conference held in May 1994, the International Safety Management (ISM)
Code was formally incorporated in chapter IX of the SOLAS Regulations. The
Code requires shipping companies to develop, implement and maintain a Safety
Management System (SMS) which includes:
1 A company safety and environmental protection policy.
2 Written procedures to ensure safe operation of ships and protection of the
environment.
3 Defined levels of authority and lines of communication between, and among,
shore and shipboard personnel.
4 Procedures for reporting accidents and non-conformities (i.e. errors which
occur).
5 Procedures to prepare for and respond to emergency situations.
6 Procedures for internal audits.