SOLAS Instrumentation study guide
SOLAS Instrumentation · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
SOLAS Instrumentation is a specialist assessment for people who specify, commission, survey, maintain, or inspect the instrumentation and alarm systems that the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requires on board ship. It suits marine engineers, electro-technical officers, classification-society and flag-state surveyors, systems integrators, and technical superintendents who need to connect a regulatory clause to the actual sensor, detector, alarm, or control loop on board. The SOLAS Instrumentation study guide has 9 sections and about 2,831 words.
01SOLAS Convention framework, amendments, and certification obligations
This domain covers the SOLAS 1974 framework, the tacit-acceptance amendment route, and the certificates a ship must hold. Questions often ask which certificate, survey window, or amendment date applies.
322 words, about 2 min02Safety of navigation: Chapter V equipment and carriage requirements
Safety of navigation under Chapter V is about carriage by tonnage, construction date, and voyage. The exam tests whether you can select the correct fit from Regulation 19 rather than recite a generic list.
327 words, about 2 min03GMDSS and radiocommunications: Chapter IV equipment and watchkeeping
GMDSS questions test sea areas, carriage, and the radio watch. You need to link A1-A4 to the equipment that provides distress alerting, SAR coordination, locating, and maritime safety information.
320 words, about 2 min04Fire detection, alarm, and fire-fighting systems: Chapter II-2
This domain tests fire detection, alarm indication, and fixed fire-fighting controls. The focus is on whether the bridge or continuously manned station can identify the zone, raise the crew, and discharge the right agent safely.
323 words, about 2 min05Life-saving appliances and arrangements: Chapter III
Chapter III questions test LSA carriage, launching, maintenance and drill records. Instrumentation appears in lifeboat release gear, lifejacket lights, SART/EPIRB stowage, and alarm or communication arrangements for survival craft.
304 words, about 2 min06Instrumentation for machinery, electrical, and periodically unattended machinery spaces: Chapter II-1
This domain covers machinery alarms, electrical protection, and the additional arrangements for periodically unattended machinery spaces. The exam asks whether an alarm leads to the right action and whether the bridge can respond when no engineer is on watch.
326 words, about 2 min07Watertight integrity, bilge, ballast, and stability instrumentation
This domain tests watertight integrity indications, bilge alarms, ballast monitoring, and the loading or stability instrument. The exam wants evidence that the bridge knows the actual door, tank and bilge condition, not the intended condition.
320 words, about 2 min08Instrumentation testing, surveys, maintenance, and records
This domain tests survey cycles, onboard maintenance, and the records that prove testing. Questions often combine a certificate date, an equipment test, and a missing log entry.
302 words, about 2 min09Human factors, alarms, bridge ergonomics, and integration
This domain tests alarm management, bridge layout and integration. It asks whether the human watchkeeper can detect, understand and act on the information the instruments provide.
287 words, about 1 min