Directive 2009/45/EC of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

2 Communication, survival craft and rescue boats, personal life-saving appliances (R 6 + 7 + 18 + 21 + 22)

NEW AND EXISTING CLASS B, C AND D SHIPS:

Every ship shall carry at least the radio life-saving appliances, radar transponders, personal life-saving appliances, survival craft and rescue boats, distress flares, line-throwing appliances specified in the following table and relative notes, on the basis of the ship's class.

All above appliances, including their launching appliances where applicable, shall comply with the regulations of Chapter III of the Annex to the 1974 SOLAS Convention, as amended, unless expressly provided otherwise in the following paragraphs.

Furthermore every ship shall carry immersion suits and thermal protective aids to be used by persons to be accommodated in lifeboats and rescue boats as far as required by the regulations of Chapter III of the Annex to the 1974 SOLAS Convention, as amended.

Ships not carrying a lifeboat or a rescue boat shall for rescue purposes be provided with at least one immersion suit. However if the ship is constantly engaged in warm climates where to the opinion of the Administration thermal protection is unnecessary, this protective clothing need not be carried.

a Survival craft may be either lifeboats complying with section 4.5 or 4.6 or 4.7 of the LSA Code or life-rafts complying with the requirements of section 4.1 of the LSA Code and of either section 4.2 or 4.3 of the LSA Code. In addition, life-rafts on ro-ro passenger ships have also to comply with the requirements of Regulation III/5-1.2. When justified by the sheltered nature of the voyages and/or the favourable climatic conditions of the area of operation, the Administration of the flag State may accept, if this is not rejected by the host Member State: (a) open reversible inflatable life-rafts not complying with the section 4.2 or 4.3 of the LSA Code provided that such life-rafts entirely comply with the requirements of Annex 10 of the High-Speed Craft Code; (b) life-rafts not complying with the requirements of paragraphs 4.2.2.2.1 and 4.2.2.2.2 of the LSA Code on the insulation against cold of the floor of the life-raft. Survival craft for existing B, C and D ships shall comply with the relevant regulations of the 1974 SOLAS Convention, as amended, for existing ships as amended at the date of adoption of this Directive. A marine evacuation system or systems complying with section 6.2 of the LSA Code may be substituted for the equivalent capacity of life-rafts and launching appliances required by the table.
b Survival craft shall, as far as practicable, be equally distributed on each side of the ship.
c The total number of survival craft shall be in accordance with the percentage mentioned in the table above and the aggregate capacity of a combination of survival craft and additional life-rafts shall be 110 % of the total number of persons (N) the ship is certified to carry. Sufficient number of survival craft has to be carried in order to ensure that in the event of any one survival craft being lost or rendered unserviceable, the remaining survival craft can accommodate the total number of persons the ship is certified to carry.
d The number of lifeboats and/or rescue boats, shall be sufficient to ensure that in providing for abandonment by the total number of persons the ship is certified to carry, no more than nine life-rafts need to be marshalled by each lifeboat or rescueboat.
e Rescue boats shall be served by their own launching appliances capable of launching and recovery. If a rescue boat complies with the requirements of section 4.5 or 4.6 of the LSA Code, it may be included in the capacity of the survival craft specified in the table above. At least one of the rescue boats on ro-ro passenger ships shall be a fast rescue boat complying with the requirements of Regulation III/5-1.3. When the Administration of the flag State considers that the installation of a rescue boat on board of a ship is physically impossible, such ship may be exempted from carrying a rescueboat, provided the ship meets all of the following requirements: (a) the ship is arranged to allow a helpless person to be recovered from the water; (b) recovery of the helpless person can be observed from the navigating bridge; and (c) the ship is sufficiently manoeuvrable to close and recover persons in the worst intended conditions
f At least one lifebuoy on each side shall be equipped with a buoyant lifeline equal in length to not less than twice the height at which it is stowed above the waterline in the lightest seagoing condition or 30 metres, whichever is the greater. Two lifebuoys shall be equipped with a self-activating smoke signal and a self-activating light; they shall be capable of quick release from the navigation bridge. The remainder of the lifebuoys shall be equipped with self-igniting lights, in compliance with the provisions of paragraph 2.1.2 of the LSA Code.
g Distress flares, complying with the requirements of section 3.1 of the LSA Code shall be stowed on the navigation bridge or steering position.
h Life jackets on board ro-ro passenger ships shall comply with the requirements of Regulation III/5-1.5.
i An inflatable life jacket shall be provided for each person that has to carry out work on board in exposed areas. These inflatable life jackets may be included in the total number of life jackets required by this Directive.
Ship's class:	B		C		D
Number of persons (N)	> 250	≤ 250	> 250	≤ 250	> 250	≤ 250
Survival crafta b c d:
— existing ships	1,1 N	1,1 N	1,1 N	1,1 N	1,1 N	1,1 N
— new ships	1,25 N	1,25 N	1,25 N	1,25 N	1,25 N	1,25 N
Rescue boatsd e	1	1	1	1	1	1
Lifebuoysf	8	8	8	4	8	4
Life jacketsh i	1,05 N	1,05 N	1,05 N	1,05 N	1,05 N	1,05 N
Child life jackets	0,1 N	0,1 N	0,1 N	0,1 N	0,1 N	0,1 N
Distress flaresg	12	12	12	12	6	6
Line-throwing appliances	1	1	1	1	—	—
Radar transponders	1	1	1	1	1	1
Two-way VHF radiotelephone apparatus	3	3	3	3	3	2