What to check on a SOLAS-A Inflatable Life Raft (Container).
Where the open reversible raft and lighter-duty types trade equipment for simplicity, the SOLAS-A container raft is built to the full carriage standard: a double-tube canopy, an insulated floor, and an equipment pack sized to support survivors for days rather than hours. The rigid container protects the folded raft and its pack from weather and mechanical damage during years of open-deck stowage, and it is built to survive a float-free release or a controlled davit launch without damaging the raft inside.
What sets a SOLAS-A container raft apart
Where the open reversible raft and lighter-duty types trade equipment for simplicity, the SOLAS-A container raft is built to the full carriage standard: a double-tube canopy, an insulated floor, and an equipment pack sized to support survivors for days rather than hours. The rigid container protects the folded raft and its pack from weather and mechanical damage during years of open-deck stowage, and it is built to survive a float-free release or a controlled davit launch without damaging the raft inside.
Main components
Buoyancy tubes and canopy
Two superimposed inflatable tubes support an arched double-skin canopy that gives thermal and weather protection, self-erecting as the raft inflates.
Floor
An insulated double floor, often inflatable, reducing heat loss to the water beneath the occupants.
Container and painter system
A rigid fibreglass shell holding the folded raft, connected through a weak link and painter line so that a float-free hydrostatic release unit lets the container surface and the painter trigger inflation as the vessel sinks.
SOLAS-A equipment pack
Rations, drinking water, seasickness medication, first aid kit, pyrotechnic and other signalling equipment, fishing kit, and repair materials, packed to the SOLAS-A schedule rather than a reduced schedule.
Selection and sizing
- Rated capacity in persons, matched to the vessel's certificated complement with the required margin across davit and float-free positions.
- Launch method: davit-launched raft, float-free stowage, or both, depending on the vessel's arrangement and freeboard.
- Container material and stowage exposure, since deck-stowed rafts face years of UV and salt exposure before their next service.
- Hydrostatic release unit type and expiry cycle, procured to match the raft's service schedule.
Regulations and class
SOLAS Ch. III sets the design, equipment pack and testing standard for SOLAS-A rafts, including capacity, canopy, and the specific items required in the equipment pack. LSA Code details construction and performance requirements, including inflation time, canopy erection and stability once inflated. Annual servicing at an approved service station is required, with hydrostatic release units replaced on their own separate expiry cycle regardless of raft service date.
Typical faults
| Fault | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Hydrostatic release unit past expiry | Float-free release may not function if the vessel sinks unexpectedly |
| Container gasket or seam degraded | Water ingress into the container, packing damage between services |
| Painter line incorrectly secured after servicing | Raft may not inflate correctly or may drift away before boarding |
| Equipment pack items missing or expired at service | Reduced survival capability if the raft is used before the fault is caught |
What to look for in a supplier
- Approved service station with current authorisation for the specific raft manufacturer and model.
- Full SOLAS-A pack contents itemised and checked against the equipment schedule at every service, not a generic checklist.
- Container construction rated for the vessel's actual stowage exposure and climate.
- Clear tracking of hydrostatic release unit expiry separate from raft service due date, since the two cycles do not always align.
Track the hydrostatic release unit expiry date on its own line in the safety schedule rather than assuming it follows the raft's service date, since a raft freshly serviced with an expired release unit is not actually ready to float free.