SOLAS Consolidated Edition 2024 — available from Dandy Booksellers Australia

Most people in the maritime industry have heard of SOLAS. It sits behind almost everything to do with how commercial ships are built, equipped, and operated. But knowing it exists and actually working from the current text are two different things. The 2024 consolidated edition pulls together years of accumulated amendments into a single reference. Some of those amendments, particularly around mooring operations, apply to ships already in service. If your onboard documentation hasn’t caught up, a port state control inspector will find that out before you do.

This guide covers where SOLAS came from, what the 2024 edition contains, what actually changed, and who should have a copy on board or in the office.

Where SOLAS Came From

The first SOLAS treaty was adopted in 1914, two years after the Titanic sank with the loss of more than 1,500 lives.^{[ 1 ]} That disaster made one thing painfully obvious: there was no consistent international standard for maritime safety. Ships carried too few lifeboats. There was no requirement for a 24 hour radio watch. Evacuation procedures varied from one vessel to the next. The international response was a binding treaty.

Four more versions followed: in 1929, 1948, 1960, and 1974. The 1914 treaty never actually entered into force because of World War I. The current version was adopted in 1974 and entered into force on 25 May 1980.^{[ 1 ]} Rather than rewriting the entire Convention each time something needs updating, the IMO uses a system of amendments. Those amendments build up over time. A consolidated edition gathers them all into one document so you can work from a single current text instead of tracking changes across decades of separate amendment circulars.

The 2024 edition also marks the 50th anniversary of the 1974 Convention.^{[ 2 ]}

What the 2024 Edition Contains

This edition consolidates the Convention text, its 1988 Protocol, and all amendments that entered into force on or before 1 July 2024.^{[ 2 ]} It includes the Unified Interpretations of SOLAS regulations approved by the Maritime Safety Committee. Those interpretations matter in practice because they clarify how provisions that could be read more than one way should actually be applied.

The publication covers every chapter of the Convention: ship construction and stability, fire protection and detection, life saving appliances, radio communications (including the GMDSS), safety of navigation, carriage of cargoes, and carriage of dangerous goods.

Chapter VII is the one that makes the IMDG Code mandatory for ships carrying dangerous goods in packaged form. SOLAS and the IMDG Code work as a pair. If dangerous goods compliance is part of your day to day responsibilities, you need both. For a closer look at how the IMDG Code works in practice, see our guide to the IMDG Code 2024 Edition.

What Changed in the 2024 Edition

Four areas were updated. Here is what each one means for operations.

Mooring Operations

The amended Regulation II-1/3-8 introduces new requirements for the selection, arrangement, inspection, maintenance, and replacement of mooring equipment and lines.^{[ 3 ]} The regulation applies to passenger ships regardless of size and cargo ships of 500 GT and above.^{[ 4 ]}

There are two tiers of requirements. Design requirements for mooring arrangements (based on IMO Guidelines MSC.1/Circ.1619) apply to new cargo and passenger ships of 3,000 GT and above with building contracts on or after 1 January 2024. Ships below 3,000 GT are encouraged to follow the guidelines as far as reasonably practicable.^{[ 4 ]}

The inspection and maintenance requirements are different. They apply to all ships from 1 January 2024 regardless of build date. This is retroactive. Ships must keep documentation of their mooring arrangements, and mooring equipment including lines must be inspected and maintained in a condition suitable for their intended purpose. Port state control inspectors check mooring records. If your documentation is not current, fix it before your next inspection.^{[ 4 ]}

GMDSS Modernisation

The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System requirements have been overhauled. For years, Inmarsat was the only approved GMDSS satellite service provider. In 2020, the IMO recognised Iridium as an additional provider.^{[ 5 ]} The 2024 amendments move to technology neutral standards, replacing specific references to “INMARSAT” with the term “Recognised Mobile Satellite Service” (RMSS). This opens the door for multiple providers going forward.

Communication equipment requirements have moved from Chapter III (Life Saving Appliances) to Chapter IV (Radiocommunications), which is where they logically belong. The amendments also remove requirements for obsolete systems like NBDP (narrowband direct printing telegraphy), which is no longer mandatory.^{[ 5 ]}

For ships certified to operate in sea area A3, the Cargo Ship Safety Radio Certificate must now indicate which recognised mobile satellite service the ship uses (Inmarsat or Iridium). Ships fitted with Iridium get global coverage for A3 purposes.^{[ 5 ]}

Watertight Integrity

Amendments to Chapter II-1 bring the watertight integrity requirements in parts B-2 to B-4 into line with the probabilistic damage stability approach in parts B and B-1.^{[ 3 ]} That approach was introduced in 2009 and assesses a ship’s probability of surviving flooding based on the location and extent of damage. It gives a more realistic picture of survivability than older deterministic methods, and it allows more flexibility in where watertight bulkheads are placed.

The amendments also address assumptions about progressive flooding, valves in the collision bulkhead, and watertight doors. They apply to new ships constructed on or after 1 January 2024. Existing vessels are not affected.^{[ 3 ]}

Life Saving Appliances and IGF Code

The 2024 edition incorporates amendments to the LSA Code (Life Saving Appliances) and the IGF Code (International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low Flashpoint Fuels). The IGF Code applies to ships running on LNG and similar fuels. As more vessels adopt alternative fuels, keeping that code current matters for anyone involved in fleet planning or newbuild specification.

Who Needs a Copy of SOLAS

SOLAS applies to commercial ships on international voyages. As a general rule, that means cargo ships, tankers, passenger ships, and other commercial vessels of 500 GT and above trading internationally. Fishing vessels, pleasure craft, and ships on purely domestic voyages are generally outside its scope.^{[ 1 ]}

The people who most commonly need a copy include ship masters and officers, fleet managers, safety officers, designated persons ashore (DPAs), port state control inspectors, flag state surveyors, maritime lawyers, and naval architects working on new builds or major conversions.

If your company operates internationally trading vessels, you need the current edition. SOLAS amendments carry legal force from the date they enter into force, whether or not you’ve updated your copy. Working from an old edition does not protect you from non-compliance.

SOLAS and Its Mandatory Codes

The Convention references and makes mandatory a number of technical codes. The main ones are the IMDG Code for dangerous goods (Chapter VII), the ISM Code for safety management (Chapter IX), the ISPS Code for security (Chapter XI-2), the LSA Code, and the FSS Code. A port state control surveyor checking your SOLAS compliance is checking the Convention and all those mandatory codes together. The consolidated edition gives you everything in one place.

For a practical overview of how dangerous goods regulations work across sea, air, and road transport in Australia, see our guide to Dangerous Goods Compliance in Australia.

How Often SOLAS Gets Updated

The IMO uses a “tacit acceptance” procedure for SOLAS amendments. Once adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee, amendments enter into force on a set date unless enough member states formally object. In practice, batches of amendments tend to enter into force every few years. The most recent set, adopted at MSC sessions 106, 107, and 108, entered into force on 1 January 2026.^{[ 6 ]} That batch includes new requirements for lifting appliances, updates to fire protection, and an extension of the Polar Code to smaller vessels.

A consolidated edition is the most practical way to keep up with these changes rather than tracking individual amendment circulars and resolutions.