What is SOLAS and its primary purpose?

• A. Standards for safety at sea; sets rules for navigation routes.
• B. Pollution control regulations for ships.
• C. Safety of Life at Sea; sets minimum safety standards for ships.
• D. Emergency distress signaling guidelines.

Answer: (C)

SOLAS stands for Safety of Life at Sea. It is an international treaty under the International Maritime Organization that sets the minimum safety standards for the design, construction, equipment, and operation of ships. The main aim is to reduce the risk to human life by ensuring ships are built and run to essential safety criteria—from hull integrity and stability to lifesaving appliances, fire protection, emergency communications, and safe operating procedures. While SOLAS does include rules related to distress signaling, its scope is broader than signaling alone. It is not about pollution control (that’s MARPOL) or routing of ships.