Maritime Safety and Class Rules: Signpost (pointers only)
This is a signpost, not a knowledge pack. It carries no instrument text:
no reproduced clauses, no normative paraphrase, no synthesised summaries of any IMO
instrument or class rule. SOLAS, ISM, ISPS, and COLREGS as sold by IMO are paywalled
sales publications, so they are Excluded under this repo's docs/SOURCE-VETTING.md
and cannot be reconstituted into a redistributable pack. Class rules are free to read
on society portals and remain society copyright. What this skill does: tell you which
instrument you want, who sells it, and which free path covers the need. A free path is
not the IMO statutory text. No in-repo pack covers these instruments.
When to use
You need to identify or cite a maritime safety instrument: which sales publication is the current SOLAS consolidated text, which free path covers US flag implementation, which free PDF covers collision rules, which UK notices cover flag guidance, and which class portal covers hull and machinery practice. IMO sales rows route you to the owner. US and UK rows route you to a government publisher. Class rows route you to a society portal. None of those routes is a substitute for the IMO consolidated text, and none names an in-repo pack.
Prerequisites: none, plain Markdown.
How to use
Find your instrument below. The Status column says whether it can be packaged:
- Excluded: IMO sales publication or society-copyright class rule. No redistribution grant. Cannot be packaged here. Buy from the owner, or read on the owner's portal where the portal allows reading. Class-portal rows in table 4 are Excluded even though the portal is free to read. Free to read is not a redistribution grant.
- Open: free to obtain from the publishing body: a government publisher (US or UK), or the IMO's own free orientation pages. No row in this signpost names an in-repo pack. SOLAS, ISM, ISPS, COLREGS, and class rules are not packaged in this catalogue. An Open row is a pointer to freely readable material. It is not the IMO statutory text.
Sales titles were confirmed on the IMO current-publications list on 2026-10-14. Cite SOLAS Consolidated Edition 2024 (IH110E), not 2020. Cite COLREGS 2026 Edition (IC904E) as the sales title. The free collision-rules text is the USCG Navigation Rules PDF, not the IMO book. Two USCG DCO URLs and the eCFR body were not retrieved by the research client (HTTP 403 or a bot gate). Those Title cells say so. Do not quote a date this file does not print. Reuse of IMO sales publications requires Organisation permission and is subject to royalty agreements: https://www.imo.org/en/publications/Pages/PermissionRequests.aspx . UK MCA notices default to Open Government Licence v3.0 unless a page says otherwise. The licence is worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, and non-exclusive, with the listed exemptions (personal data, logos, third-party rights), and this pack still points rather than excerpts: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ .
A reader who will not buy IMO books goes (1) to flag law and circulars (US eCFR Title 46 plus NVIC and MSC; UK MSN, MGN, and MIN), (2) to the USCG Navigation Rules PDF for collision rules, (3) to class-society portals for class practice, (4) to IMO free explainers for definitions and chapter maps only.
Paywalled IMO core
Five Excluded rows. This is the statutory set a reader asks for first. No free full text. No in-repo pack.
| Designation | Title | Edition | Owner | Status | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOLAS Consolidated Edition, 2024 (IH110E) | Consolidated sales text of SOLAS 1974 as amended. Annex chapters I through XV; chapter XV (industrial personnel) entered into force 1 July 2024. The IMO convention page's summary still says "14 chapters" and has not been updated for chapter XV; this signpost follows the research pass, which recorded XV's entry into force. Not free. The IMO free chapter summary on the convention page is orientation only: https://www.imo.org/en/About/Conventions/Pages/International-Convention-for-the-Safety-of-Life-at-Sea-(SOLAS),-1974.aspx . Free implementation paths are the US flag table and the UK MCA table. Neither is this book. | 2024 consolidated; convention adopted 1 November 1974, in force 25 May 1980, as amended | IMO Publishing | Excluded | https://www.imo.org/en/publications/Pages/CurrentPublications.aspx |
| ISM Code & Guidelines, 2018 Edition (ID117E) | International Safety Management Code and guidelines. The URL is the free explainer, not the code. Full text is the sales publication. Flag SMS guidance, where a flag publishes it, is in the US flag table or the UK MCA table. It is not the ISM Code. | 2018 sales edition; mandatory via SOLAS Chapter IX from 1 July 1998 | IMO Publishing | Excluded | https://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/HumanElement/Pages/ISMCode.aspx |
| ISPS Code, 2003 Edition (K116E) | International Ship and Port Facility Security Code. Part A mandatory, Part B guidance. The URL is the free explainer, not the code. Full text is the sales publication. | 2003; in force 1 July 2004 via SOLAS Chapter XI-2 | IMO Publishing | Excluded | https://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Security/Pages/SOLAS-XI-2%20ISPS%20Code.aspx |
| Guide to Maritime Security and the ISPS Code, 2021 Edition (IB116E) | Guide, not the code. Sales publication. The URL is the current-publications list because the research file did not open a dedicated guide page. Do not invent one. | 2021 | IMO Publishing | Excluded | https://www.imo.org/en/publications/Pages/CurrentPublications.aspx |
| COLREGS, 2026 Edition (IC904E) | Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, as sold by IMO. Paywalled. The free official collision-rules text is the USCG Navigation Rules PDF in the US flag table. That PDF is the US amalgam, not this book. | 2026 sales edition | IMO Publishing | Excluded | https://www.imo.org/en/publications/Pages/CurrentPublications.aspx |
US flag implementation and collision rules
Four Open rows. No in-repo pack. No NVIC number. No Marine Safety Manual row.
| Designation | Title | Edition | Owner | Status | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USCG Navigation Rules (COLREGS amalgam) | Free official collision regulations text. US government work, public domain in the US (17 U.S.C. § 105). This is the free path when the IMO COLREGS book is paywalled. It is the US amalgam, not IC904E. Portal: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/ . | PDF as posted; fetched live 2026-10-14 | US Coast Guard Navigation Center | Open | https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/navRules/navrules.pdf |
| eCFR Title 46 (Shipping) | Free reading path for SOLAS-derived ship safety requirements under US flag and port-state law (construction, equipment, inspection, manning interfaces as implemented in US regulations). Not the SOLAS consolidated text. Chapter I (Coast Guard) entry: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-46/chapter-I , named in this Title cell, not as a second URL-column link. The research client did not read the live body (bot gate). Human browser access is the normal path. | current compilation; unofficial editorial compilation of the CFR | US Government Publishing / eCFR | Open | https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-46 |
| USCG NVICs | Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circulars. Policy and technical circulars that explain inspection and vessel safety expectations. Companion to Title 46, not a SOLAS substitute. The research client got HTTP 403. Re-check the index in a browser before relying on a specific circular. Do not invent an NVIC number. | index, not a single circular | US Coast Guard (DCO / Prevention) | Open | https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/NVIC/ |
| USCG Marine Safety Center | Plan review, equivalencies, and technical notes for commercial vessel compliance. The research client got HTTP 403. Re-check in a browser. Not a SOLAS substitute. | office site, not a single publication | US Coast Guard | Open | https://www.dco.uscg.mil/msc/ |
Do not add a Coast Guard Marine Safety Manual row. Volume URLs were not confirmed on one catalogue page.
UK MCA notices
Three Open rows. Open Government Licence v3.0. No notice body. No notice number invented as a SOLAS substitute.
| Designation | Title | Edition | Owner | Status | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCA Marine Guidance Notes (MGNs) | Free flag-state guidance for SOLAS-related operational and safety topics under UK implementation. Default licence Open Government Licence v3.0 unless the page says otherwise. Attribution required. Not the SOLAS consolidated text. Do not paste notice body into this pack. | collection, not a single notice | Maritime and Coastguard Agency | Open | https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/marine-guidance-notices-mgns |
| MCA Merchant Shipping Notices (MSNs) | Often carry mandatory notice content tied to UK merchant shipping regulations. Same OGL v3.0 default. Not the SOLAS consolidated text. | collection, not a single notice | Maritime and Coastguard Agency | Open | https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/merchant-shipping-notices-msns |
| MCA Marine Information Notes (MINs) | Shorter information notes. Same OGL v3.0 default. Not the SOLAS consolidated text. | collection, not a single notice | Maritime and Coastguard Agency | Open | https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/marine-information-notes-mins |
Class rules, free to read, still copyrighted
Three Excluded rows. Free-to-read portal, society copyright, not a SOLAS substitute, not public domain, not OGL. No Lloyd's Register row.
| Designation | Title | Edition | Owner | Status | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DNV Rules and Standards Explorer | Classification rules, service specifications, standards, and recommended practices. Explorer app host https://standards.dnv.com/explorer/ and historic archive https://rules.dnv.com/servicedocuments/dnvpm/ sit in this Title cell, not in extra rows. Electronic documents via DNV are treated as official. Veracity sign-in is part of the product surface. Anonymous download of every active part was not confirmed (HTTP 401 without a session). Account UX may apply. Class practice, not SOLAS text. | portal, not a single edition | DNV AS | Excluded: free-to-read portal; copyright DNV AS; not public domain; not OGL; not a SOLAS substitute | https://www.dnv.com/rules-standards/ |
| ABS Rules and Guides (Rule Manager) | Rules and guides for ABS-classed fleets. Rule Manager v2: https://ww2.eagle.org/en/rules-and-resources/rules-and-guides-v2.html , in this Title cell. Register / Login / MyFreedom chrome is present. An explicit "free of charge, no account" sentence was not confirmed. Do not claim no-account access. Class practice, not SOLAS text. | portal, not a single edition | American Bureau of Shipping | Excluded: free-to-read portal; copyright ABS; login chrome present; not public domain; not OGL; not a SOLAS substitute | https://ww2.eagle.org/en/rules-and-resources/rules-and-guides.html |
| BV Rules, Rule Notes, and Guidance Notes | Site states 120-130+ rules, rule notes, and guidance notes available for download. Rules Explorer: https://rulesexplorer.bureauveritas.com , in this Title cell. Veristar sign-in is part of the site. Class practice, not SOLAS text. | portal, not a single edition | Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore | Excluded: free-to-read download path; copyright BV; not public domain; not OGL; not a SOLAS substitute | https://marine-offshore.bureauveritas.com/rules-classification-rule-notes-and-guidance-notes |
IMO free orientation, not the codes
Three Open rows. These exist so a reader who wants "what is this instrument" does not buy the book for a definition, and so the executor does not paste a summary. Status text says orientation only, not the consolidated text.
| Designation | Title | Edition | Owner | Status | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMO SOLAS convention page | Free chapter-by-chapter summary and convention history. Not IH110E. Do not copy the summary into this pack. | HTML summary, not an edition | IMO | Open: orientation only; not the consolidated text | https://www.imo.org/en/About/Conventions/Pages/International-Convention-for-the-Safety-of-Life-at-Sea-(SOLAS),-1974.aspx |
| IMO Index of Resolutions | Free index. Meeting documents from 2000 onward need IMODOCS registration. Not a free SOLAS text. | index, not meeting documents | IMO | Open: index only; IMODOCS registration for meeting documents 2000 onward | https://www.imo.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/Pages/Default.aspx |
| IMO Publications home | Purchase path (ePublications and authorised distributors) and the counterfeit warning. Copyright page is the permission URL already named in How to use. | sales hub, not a free text | IMO | Open: how to buy; not a free text | https://www.imo.org/en/publications/Pages/Home.aspx |
Do not add rows for World Maritime Day infographic PDFs, the Marine Safety Manual, a free SOLAS PDF, or any class-rule PDF deep link.
Scope & Limits
- No reproduced instrument text. Rows carry designation, title, edition, owner, status, and URL only.
- No in-repo pack is the open path. Do not send a reader to a NASA, rail, or space pack as a maritime equivalent.
- SOLAS Consolidated Edition 2024 (IH110E) is the paywalled statutory core. The 2020 consolidated edition is not current.
- ISM, ISPS, and the IMO COLREGS book are sales publications. IMO HTML explainers are orientation, not the codes.
- USCG Navigation Rules are the free collision-rules text. They are the US amalgam, not IC904E.
- eCFR Title 46 and USCG circulars are US flag implementation. They are not the SOLAS consolidated text. NVIC and MSC pages returned HTTP 403 to the research client. Re-check in a browser. Do not cite an NVIC number this file does not print.
- UK MCA notices are free under OGL v3.0 unless a page says otherwise. They are UK implementation and operational guidance, not the SOLAS consolidated text. This pack points at the collections. It does not excerpt notices.
- Class rules (DNV, ABS, Bureau Veritas) are free to read on society portals and remain society copyright. They are not public domain, not OGL, and not a SOLAS substitute.
- Lloyd's Register rules URL and download terms were not confirmed. This signpost does not cite an LR rules page and does not claim LR rules are free PDFs.
- No complete official SOLAS regulatory text is free from IMO.
Signpost content is original JG Systems Consulting Ltd. work, MIT licensed. Trademarks and standard designations are named for identification only.
