How the sinking of the Titanic lead to international safety regulations at sea

SOLAS – Safety of Life at Sea, is one of the oldest and most important of all international treaties dealing with maritime safety. The first version was adopted in 1914 in response to the White Star liner Titanic disaster in April 1912, where more than 1,500 passengers and crew died.

The sinking of the Titanic raised many questions about the safety standards on ships, which lead to the United Kingdom Government initiating a conference to develop international regulations. The Conference was attended by representatives of 13 countries and the SOLAS Convention was adopted on 20 January 1914. The 1914 Convention was, as the title implies, concerned primarily with the safety of human life. Since then, there have been four other SOLAS conventions and the version in place today was adopted in 1974 and enforced in 1980. Due to the fact that the 1974 Convention has been updated and amended on numerous occasions, the Convention is now commonly referred to as SOLAS, 1974, as amended. Chapter II-2 of the SOLAS Convention deals with Construction - Fire protection, fire detection and fire extinction.

In 1948 the IMO – International Maritime Organization was formally established under the United Nations. The IMO Convention entered into force 1958 and the new organisation met for the first time in 1959. The establishment of IMO was a result of several countries proposing that a permanent international body should be established to promote maritime safety more effectively. This would be done by developing international regulations and international standards to be used by all shipping nations. Currently the IMO has 175 Member States and three Associate Members.

The development of fire safety regulations at sea

Since its conception, IMO has developed fire safety regulations for international commercial ships in the frame of the International SOLAS Convention. The IMO has developed fire safety regulations, including the Fire Test Procedures (FTP) Code. This includes mandatory fire safety testing of materials used in maritime applications. They are tested for a variety of considerations, such as flammability, spread, smoke, and more.

The IMO 2010 FTP Code (mandatory from 1 July 2012) contains fire test procedures, most of which have been harmonized with similar ISO standards. ISO, short for the International Organization for Standardization, is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). These standards and test procedures apply to a variety of products used in shipbuilding of international seagoing ships. They also comply with the fire safety requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended.

In summary

What is SOLAS?
SOLAS – Safety of Life at Sea, is an international maritime treaty that sets minimum safety standards in the construction, equipment and operation of merchant ships. The convention requires signatory flag states to ensure that ships flagged by them comply with at least these standards. It is one of the oldest and most important of all international treaties dealing with maritime safety.

What is the IMO?
The IMO – International Maritime Organization, was formally established in 1948 under the United Nations to promote maritime safety more effectively. This was done through a permanent international body that developed international regulations and international standards that are used by all shipping nations. Currently the IMO has 175 Member States and three Associate Members.

What is ISO?
ISO – International Organization for Standardization, is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). These standards and test procedures apply to a variety of products used in shipbuilding of international seagoing ships.

What is the IMO 2010 FTP Code?
The IMO 2010 FTP Code, the Fire Test Procedures Code, (mandatory from 1 July 2012) contains fire test procedures, most of which have been harmonized with similar ISO standards.

The requirements and tests apply to a variety of products used in shipbuilding for international seagoing ships, in compliance with the fire safety requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended. The different product categories each have a dedicated section, or part, within the code.

Part 1: Non-combustibility test.
Part 2: Smoke and toxicity test.
Part 3: Test for "A", "B", and "F" class divisions.
Part 4: Test for fire door control systems.
Part 5: Test for surface flammability (test for surface materials and primary deck coverings).
Part 6: Was intentionally left blank.
Part 7: Test for vertically supported textiles and films.
Parts 8 and 9: Both use smoldering cigarette tests and propane flame tests. Part 8 covers upholstered furniture and Part 9 focuses on bedding components. For both parts, no progressive smoldering or flaming ignition can occur.
Parts 10 and 11: Both are specific to high-speed crafts. Part 10 relates to fire-restricting materials, and specifically surface materials. Part 11 is for fire-resisting divisions and includes criteria for fire-resisting properties. It also includes criteria for insulation and integrity.

Anders Delsborn has over 25 years of experience in testing and certification, including as Regional Vice President Certification from Intertek, which is a leading supplier of total quality assurance to industries worldwide. There he provided leadership and oversight of Intertek regional Certification, Inspection and Notified Bodies having offices in Sweden, UK and Germany. He was also responsible for the accreditation of these bodies and the monitoring of changes in the European market legislation, regarding CE marking and other EU legislation and decisions.

Today, Anders works at FireSeal as Senior Advisor Regulatory Compliance, where he handles our regulatory work toward classification societies and test institutes. He acts advising for our tests to take place according to standards and analyzes test reports so that we can receive the correct approval.