Of all the international conventions dealing with maritime safety, the most important is the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, better known as SOLAS, which covers a wide range of measures designed to improve the safety of shipping.

The Convention is also one of the oldest of its kind: the first version was adopted in 1914 following the sinking of the Titanic with the loss of more than 1,500 lives. Since then, there have been four more versions of SOLAS. The present version was adopted in 1974 and entered into force in 1980. This publication commemorates the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the 1974 SOLAS Convention, a prominent international instrument for maritime safety.

This edition of the publication presents a consolidated text of the Convention, its Protocol of 1988 and all amendments that have entered into force on or before 1 July 2024. Additionally, this edition includes the unified interpretations of SOLAS regulations approved by the Maritime Safety Committee.