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SOLAS Chapter V — Safety of Navigation

The chapter of the SOLAS Convention setting international requirements for safe navigation and navigational services and equipment.

It covers matters including navigational warnings, meteorological services, search and rescue, hydrographic services, routeing, reporting, carriage of navigation systems, charts and publications, voyage planning, danger messages and the master’s professional judgement.

Unlike many SOLAS chapters, parts of Chapter V apply broadly to ships on all voyages, but individual regulations contain definitions, exceptions and carriage thresholds. National implementation and the current amended text determine the exact obligation for a particular vessel.

SOLAS V for pleasure craft

Specific regulations for pleasure craft (less than 150 gross tonnage)

Regulation wording:

2.1 All ships irrespective of size shall have:

2.1.1 a properly adjusted standard magnetic compass, or other means, independent of any power supply to determine the ship’s heading and display the reading at the main steering position;

2.1.4 nautical charts and nautical publications to plan and display the ship’s route for the intended voyage and to plot and monitor positions throughout the voyage; an electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) may be accepted as meeting the chart carriage requirements of this subparagraph;

2.1.7 if less than 150 gross tonnage and if practicable, a radar reflector or other means, to enable detection by ships navigating by radar at both 9 and 3 GHz;

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In plain English

What does this mean for us?

Compass:

Charts & publications:

Radar reflector:

Why is this important?

Regulation wording:

An illustrated table describing the lifesaving signals* shall be readily available to the officer of the watch of every ship to which this chapter applies. The signals shall be used by ships or persons in distress when communicating with lifesaving stations, maritime rescue units and aircraft engaged in search and rescue operations. 

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In plain English

What does this mean for us?

Why is this the case?

Regulation wording:

Regulation 31 – Danger messages

  1. The master of every ship which meets with dangerous ice, a dangerous derelict, or any other direct danger to navigation, or a tropical storm, or encounters sub-freezing air temperatures associated with gale force winds causing severe ice accretion on superstructures, or winds of force 10 or above on the Beaufort scale for which no storm warning has been received, is bound to communicate the information by all means at his disposal to ships in the vicinity, and also to the competent authorities. The form in which the information is sent is not obligatory. It may be transmitted either in plain language (preferably English) or by means of the International Code of Signals.
  2. Each Contracting Government will take all steps necessary to ensure that when intelligence of any of the dangers specified in paragraph 1 is received, it will be promptly brought to the knowledge of those concerned and communicated to other interested Governments.
  3. The transmission of messages respecting the dangers specified is free of cost to the ships concerned.
  4. All radio messages issued under paragraph 1 shall be preceded by the safety signal, using the procedure as prescribed by the Radio Regulations as defined in regulation IV/2.
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Regulation 32 – Information required in danger messages

  1. Ice, derelicts and other direct dangers to navigation:
    1. The kind of ice, derelict or danger observed.
    2. The position of the ice, derelict or danger when last observed.
    3. The time and date (Universal Co-ordinated Time) when the danger was last observed.
  2. Tropical cyclones (storms)
    1. A statement that a tropical cyclone has been encountered. This obligation should be interpreted in a broad spirit, and information transmitted whenever the master has good reason to believe that a tropical cyclone is developing or exists in the neighborhood.
    2. Time, date (Universal Co-ordinated Time) and position of ship when the observation was taken.
    3. As much of the following information as is practicable should be included in the message:
      • barometric pressure, preferably corrected (stating millibars, millimetres, or inches, and whether corrected or uncorrected);
      • barometric tendency (the change in barometric pressure during the past three hours);
      • true wind direction;- wind force (Beaufort scale);
      • state of the sea (smooth, moderate, rough, high);
      • swell (slight, moderate, heavy) and the true direction from which it comes. Period or length of swell (short, average, long) would also be of value;
      • true course and speed of ship.
  1. When a master has reported a tropical cyclone or other dangerous storm, it is desirable but not obligatory, that further observations be made and transmitted hourly, if practicable, but in any case at intervals of not more than 3 hours, so long as the ship remains under the influence of the storm.
  2. Winds of force 10 or above on the Beaufort scale for which no storm warning has been received. This is intended to deal with storms other than the tropical cyclones referred to in paragraph 2; when such a storm is encountered, the message should contain similar information to that listed under the paragraph but excluding the details concerning sea and swell.
  3. Sub-freezing air temperatures associated with gale force winds causing severe ice accretion on superstructures:
    1. Time and date (Universal Co-ordinated Time).
    2. Air temperature.
    3. Sea temperature (if practicable).
    4. Wind force and direction.
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In plain English

Regulation 31 – Danger messages

  • A dangerous derelict or other hazardous obstructions.
  • Tropical storms.
  • Winds of Force 10 or more for which no warning has been received.

Regulation 32 – Information required in danger messages

  • the position, 
  • the nature of the danger, 
  • the time seen/witnessed, 
  • and any other helpful information.

Regulation wording:

  1. The master of a ship at sea which is in a position to be able to provide assistance on receiving a signal from any source that persons are in distress at sea, is bound to proceed with all speed to their assistance, if possible informing them or the search and rescue service that the ship is doing so. If the ship receiving the distress alert is unable or, in the special circumstances of the case, considers it unreasonable or unnecessary to proceed to their assistance, the master must enter in the log-book the reason for failing to proceed to the assistance of the persons in distress, taking into account the recommendation of the Organization, to inform the appropriate search and rescue service accordingly.
  2. The master of a ship in distress or the search and rescue service concerned, after consultation, so far as may be possible, with the masters of ships which answer the distress alert, has the right to requisition one or more of those ships as the master of the ship in distress or the search and rescue service considers best able to render assistance, and it shall be the duty of the master or masters of the ship or ships requisitioned to comply with the requisition by continuing to proceed with all speed to the assistance of persons in distress.
  3. Masters of ships shall be released from the obligation imposed by paragraph 1 on learning that their ships have not been requisitioned and that one or more other ships have been requisitioned and are complying with the requisition. This decision shall, if possible be communicated to the other requisitioned ships and to the search and rescue service.
  4. The master of a ship shall be released from the obligation imposed by paragraph 1 and, if his ship has been requisitioned, from the obligation imposed by paragraph 2 on being informed by the persons in distress or by the search and rescue service or by the master of another ship which has reached such persons that assistance is no longer necessary.
  5. The provisions of this regulation do not prejudice the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law Relating to Assistance and Salvage at Sea, signed at Brussels on 23 September 1910, particularly the obligation to render assistance imposed by article 11 of that Convention.*
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In plain English

Regulation wording:

  1. Prior to proceeding to sea, the master shall ensure that the intended voyage has been planned using the appropriate nautical charts and nautical publications for the area concerned, taking into account the guidelines and recommendations developed by the Organization.*
  2. The voyage plan shall identify a route which:
    1. takes into account any relevant ships’ routeing systems;
    2. ensures sufficient sea room for the safe passage of the ship throughout the voyage;
    3. anticipates all known navigational hazards and adverse weather conditions; and
    4. takes into account the marine environmental protection measures that apply, and avoids as far as possible actions and activities which could cause damage to the environment.
  3. The owner, the charterer, or the company, as defined in regulation IX/1, operating the ship or any other person, shall not prevent or restrict the master of the ship from taking or executing any decision which, in the master’s professional judgement, is necessary for safe navigation and protection of the marine environment.
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In plain English

  • weather forecasts,
  • tidal predictions,
  • suitability and conditions of the vessel and
  • suitability and welfare of the crew.

Regulation wording:

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In plain English

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SOLAS V (for pleasure craft)

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency SOLAS V regulations are relevant to pleasure vessels under 150 GT (Gross Tonnage). SOLAS V – Safety of Life at Sea isn’t just for commercial ships. Some...More Details
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