Merchant shipping lifejackets
Approval according to SOLAS 74/88
The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, the SOLAS Convention, has existed since 1913. Since then, this convention has been continually developed. While safety regulations often differed from flag to flag, today ship safety is increasingly governed by global rules established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Life-saving appliances are covered in Chapter 3 of the SOLAS 74/88 Convention.
The more detailed specifications and testing procedures for life-saving appliances are defined in the LSA Code (Life-Saving Appliance Code). The purpose of this code is to establish international standards for life-saving appliances required by Chapter III of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS Convention), 1974/1988.
The exact wording of the LSA Code can be found at the following link:
The most important details are as follows:
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Every lifejacket must be equipped with a whistle firmly attached to it by a line.
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A lifejacket must be fitted with a detachable buoyant lanyard or other means by which it can be attached to a lifejacket worn by another person in the water.
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A lifejacket must be fitted with a suitable device to allow a rescuer to lift the wearer from the water into a survival craft or rescue boat.
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A lifejacket which relies on inflation for its buoyancy must have at least two separate cells, meet the requirements of paragraph 2.2.1, and
1. inflate automatically upon immersion, be equipped with a device allowing inflation by a single movement of the hand and enable each cell to be inflated by mouth;
2. in the event of loss of buoyancy of one of the cells, be capable of meeting the requirements of paragraphs 2.2.1.5, 2.2.1.6 and 2.2.1.7;
3. comply with the requirements of paragraph 2.2.1.11 after being inflated by the automatic mechanism.
Approval for European flags
In addition to SOLAS approval, life-saving appliances on European-flagged merchant vessels must comply with the provisions of the EU Marine Equipment Directive (MED) 2014/90/EU (valid from September 18, 2016, formerly 96/98/EU). While this directive essentially refers to the SOLAS/IMO regulations, it also stipulates additional conformity requirements depending on the product. This approval provides for the "steering wheel symbol" of the European Marine Equipment Directive 96/98/EC as an external mark of conformity, as shown below:
1.3. MER (Merchant Equipment Regulation/Red Ensign)
Following Brexit, any product approved under the EU Marine Equipment Directive (MED) (commonly referred to as a ship wheel approval) manufactured after 1 January 2023 must also be approved under the new UK Marine Equipment Regulations (MER, 2016), known as Red Ensign approval, and the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) guidelines.
This is being examined by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), which in turn has commissioned DNV UK Ltd. to carry out the approval.