• International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. The main objective of the SOLAS Convention is to specify minimum standards for the construction, equipment and operation of ships, compatible with their safety. SOLAS was adopted on 1 November 1974 and entered into force on 25 May 1980. The Convention in force today is sometimes referred to as: 'SOLAS, 1974, as amended': TEXT | PDF

SOLAS 1974: Brief History - List of amendments

• International Ship and Port Facility Security Code. The ISPS Code is a comprehensive set of measures to enhance the security of ships and port facilities, developed in response to the perceived threats to ships and port facilities in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the United States. The new security measures were adopted after 1 July 2004: TEXT | PDF

The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code
The Company and the Ship
The Port Facility
Responsibilities of Contracting Governments
Amendments to SOLAS
New Chapter XI-2 (Special measures to enhance maritime security)
Resolutions adopted by the conference
Officers of the Conference

• International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers. STCW prescribes minimum standards relating to training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers which countries are obliged to meet or exceed.STCW was adopted on: 7 July 1978, entered into force on 28 April 1984, and had major revisions in 1995 and 2010: TEXT | PDF

• International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue. SAR was adopted on 27 April 1979 and entered into force on 22 June 1985. After SAR's adoption, IMO's Maritime Safety Committee divided the world's oceans into 13 search and rescue areas, in each of which the countries concerned have delimited search and rescue regions for which they are responsible: TEXT | PDF

> Revised Annex to the SAR Covnention. Adopted in May 1998 and entered ito force in January 2000, the revised technical Annex of SAR clarifies the responsibilities of Governments and puts greater emphasis on the regional approach and co-ordination between maritime and aeronautical SAR operations. TEXT