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The marine and offshore industries are highly regulated and are often amongst the first to adopt widely implemented international safety standards. The regulations concerning these industries are developed at the global level due to their inherently international characteristics. Therefore, it remains vital that the marine and offshore segments are subject to uniform regulations in areas such as construction standards, navigational rules, crew competence, training and safety. This is governed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). 

Everlux safety signage solutions are developed in strict observance of all relevant IMO Resolutions and international standards.

The luminance properties of Everlux photoluminescent signs exceed IMO Resolution requirements, providing the market with an assurance that they will be effective when they are most needed – i.e. during an emergency situation. 

The following references are the major international shipping conventions, resolutions and standards adopted by IMO and are those which provide the guidelines for the safety signs and systems that are to be used on board:

SOLAS (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974) sets the minimum standards for the safe construction of ships and the basic safety equipment to be carried on board (e.g. fire protection, navigation, life-saving and safety markings).

SOLAS Convention 2004 chapter II-2 Regulation 13.3.2.5, Construction – Fire protection, fire detection and extinction – Means of escape – Marking of escape routes.

SOLAS Convention 2004 chapter II-2 Regulation 13.7.2.2, Construction – Fire protection, fire detection and extinction – Means of escape – Instruction for safe escape.

SOLAS Convention 2004 chapter III-Regulation 9.2.3 – Life-saving appliances and arrangements – Operating instructions.

IMO Resolution A.654(16), adopted on 19 October 1989 - Graphical Symbols for Fire Control Plans.

IMO Resolution A. 752(18), adopted on 4 November 1993 - Guidelines for the Evaluation, Testing and Application of Low-Location Lighting on Passenger Ships.

IMO Resolution A.760(18), adopted on 4 November 1993 - Symbols Related to Life-Saving Appliances and Arrangements.

IMO Resolution A. 952(23), adopted on 5 December 2003 - Graphical symbols for shipboard fire control plans.

 

IMO Resolution A.1116(30), adopted on 5 December 2017 – Escape Route Signs and Equipment Location Markings.

In sequence to the 2016 IMO MSC.1/Circ.1553 Shipboard escape route signs and emergency equipment location markings which invited Contracting Governments to start implementing safety signs as per ISO 24409-2:2014 on a voluntary basis, IMO Resolution A.1116(30) adopts these escape route signs and equipment location markings which will take effect on 1 January 2019.

The adoption of ISO’s symbols by IMO is a step forward to the needed standardization of the international symbols to indicate the location of emergency equipment to people who travel and work on-board ships and other marine installations.

IMO Resolution A.1116(30), adopted on 5 December 2017 – Escape Route Signs and Equipment Location Markings is effective for ships constructed on or after 1 January 2019 and for ships which undergo repairs, alterations, modifications and outfitting on or after that date. 

 

MARPOL (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973/1978 adopted on 17 February 1978) contains requirements to prevent pollution that may be caused both accidently and in the course of routine operations.

A revised MARPOL Annex V setting new regulatory requirements regarding the disposal of garbage from ships is in force since January 1^st 2013. This amendment to the MARPOL Annex V was agreed at the 62^nd meeting of the IMO Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) back in 2013. The amendment replaces most of the existing text in MARPOL Annex V making very important changes to the requirements for handling and disposal of garbage on ships.

In 2012 at the 63^rd meeting of the MEPC a set of guidelines on implementing de new Annex V were adopted as well as a set of guidelines on the Development of Garbage Management plans.

MARPOL Annex V applies to all ships

This Code was developed as an international standard for new built mobile offshore drilling units. The 2009 MODU CODE aims to facilitate the international movement and operation of these units whilst ensuring a level of safety for these units and for personnel on board equivalent to the required by the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.

The 2009 MODU is applicable for Mobile Offshore Units constructed on or after 01-01-2012. This Code addresses the safety sign requirements in Chapter 9.4 – Means of escape.

Code of Safety For Special Purpose Ships (SPS Code), 2008

The Maritime Safety Committee adopted, by resolution MSC.266(84), the Code of Safety for Special Purpose Ships, 2008, which had been developed following a thorough revision of the SPS Code adopted in 1983 by resolution A.534(13).

The SPS Code was developed with the aim of providing an international standard of safety for special purpose ships and its application will result in a level of safety for the ships and their personnel equivalent to the level required by SOLAS.

The safety signage requirements of the SPS Code are laid out in Chapter 6 – Fire protection.

ISM (International Safety Management Code) effectively requires shipping companies to have a license to operate and stipulates that they must undergo regular audits to ensure that a safety management system is in place.

ISPS Code 2003 adopted on 12 December 2002 - International Ship and Port Facility Code.

ICAO and IMO Document 9636 - International signs to provide guidance to persons at airports and marine terminals.

IMDG (International Maritime Dangerous Goods) Code was developed as a uniform international code for the transport of dangerous goods by sea and covers packing, container traffic and stowage.

European Commission Directive 2002/25/EC adopted on 5 March 2002 - Amending Council Directive 98/18/EC regarding safety rules and standards for passenger ships.

 

MED (Maritime Equipment Directive) was developed to enhance safety at sea and the prevention of marine pollution through the uniform application of international instruments related to the equipment in question. The directive requires marine equipment to be certified and specifies the basic requirements to manufacturers as well as products.

ISO 14726 – Ships and Marine Technology – Identification colours for the content of piping systems.

 

Specifies main colours and additional colours for the identification of piping systems according with their content or function on board ships and marine structures.  

ISO 15370 – Ships and Marine Technology – Low-location lighting (LLL) on passenger ships – Arrangement.

ISO 17631 – Ships and Marine Technology – Shipboard plans for fire protection, life-saving appliances and means of escape.

ISO 20712 -1: 2008 – Water safety signs and beach safety flags – Part 1: Specifications for water safety signs used in workplaces and public areas.

ISO 24409-1:2010 – Ships and Marine Technology – Design, location and use of shipboard safety signs, safety-related signs, safety notices and safety markings – Part 1: Design Principles.

Part 3 of ISO 24409 reflects best practice on the use of shipboard safety signs setting guidelines on their sizes and locations as well as on the use of appropriate graphical symbols and supplementary texts. It contains illustrations of a shipboard safety signage system designed to provide the ideal amount of information to clearly identify the location and direction of the means of escape within a ship or offshore installation to the assembly stations and survival craft and embarkation stations.