🔍 Key Concepts

• SOLAS requirements for lifesaving appliances on ships engaged on international voyages • Minimum liferaft capacity versus total number of persons carried on board • Difference between small pleasure craft equipment and commercial/ SOLAS vessel equipment

💭 Think About

• Think about the practical use of an inflatable liferaft on an international voyage: would it be designed for just one or two people, or for a small group? • Consider what size of group would make sense for mustering, launching, and survival in rough seas on an ocean-going ship. • Eliminate options that seem more appropriate for very small boats rather than for ships on international voyages.

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify in SOLAS Chapter III – Life-saving appliances and arrangements what it says about the minimum number of persons an inflatable liferaft must accommodate. • Ask yourself which of these capacities (2, 4, 6, 8) would be most efficient and practical to stow, launch, and manage on a seagoing commercial vessel. • Remember that some very low-capacity figures are usually associated with dinghies or non-SOLAS rafts, not with SOLAS liferafts for international voyages.