What changes to SOLAS 202


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A set of amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the associated Codes enter into force on 1 January 2024. This statutory news from DNV highlights the


changes that have been adopted for the 2024 update of SOLAS and its associated Codes.


The SOLAS Convention is regarded as the most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of merchant ships. Amendments to the technical provisions generally follow a four-year cycle of entry into force. This news highlights amendments related to:


- Safe mooring operations - Modernization of the GMDSS - Watertight integrity - Watertight doors on cargo ships - Fault-isolation of fire detection systems


- Life-saving appliances - Safety of ships using LNG as fuel


Safe mooring operations


New SOLAS requirements intend to improve mooring safety by introducing additional requirements to selection, arrangement, inspection, maintenance and replacement of mooring equipment, including lines. Documentation regarding the design of mooring arrangements and the


The design requirements will apply to new cargo and passenger ships constructed on or after 1 January 2024 that are above 3000 GT, and should also apply to ships of 3000 GT and below as far as reasonably practicable. The maintenance and inspection requirements will be applied retroactively for all ships.


114 | The Report • September 2022 • Issue 101


selection of mooring equipment will be required to be provided and kept on board.


The new requirements are incorporated in SOLAS Regulation II-1/3-8 on towing and mooring equipment, and supported by the following guidelines:


- “Guidelines on the design of mooring arrangements and the selection of appropriate mooring equipment and fittings for safe mooring” (MSC.1/Circ. 1619)


- “Guidelines for inspection and maintenance of mooring equipment including lines” (MSC.1/ Circ.1620)


- “Revised guidance on shipboard towing and mooring equipment” (MSC.1/Circ. 1175/Rev.1).


Modernization of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System


The requirements to the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) have been modernized to contain more generic requirements, independent of specific service providers, and to remove carriage requirements for obsolete systems. Furthermore, the requirements for communication equipment have been moved from SOLAS Chapter III on life-saving appliances to Chapter IV on radio communications. The definitions of the sea areas A1 to A4 have been amended to reflect that the geographical area of coverage may vary between various satellite service providers.


Since the IMO adopted the worldwide system for communication of emergency information in 1988, Inmarsat has been the only approved provider of satellite communication services for the GMDSS. In 2018, the IMO also recognized Iridium as a provider of such services, and the 2020 update of SOLAS replaced provider- specific terms with the more generic “recognized mobile satellite service”.


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