Start hereRules checked 20 October 2026
In a fire at night, with smoke at head height and the lights out, nobody on board reads a notice. People follow green arrows at floor level, look for the shape of a lifejacket on a locker door, and grab the extinguisher under the red square. Shipboard signs are the last piece of safety equipment a person uses, and the only one that has to work for passengers, contractors and new crew who have never seen the ship before.
That only works if every ship uses the same symbols, in the same colours and shapes, in the same places. Since 2019 that standard has been resolution A.1116(30), Escape route signs and equipment location markings, built on the ISO 24409 series and the ISO 7010 registered safety signs.
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In this lesson
- Signs and markings on the way from cabin to muster station
- In plain words
- In detail
- What the rules say
- Flag and class notes
- Key numbers
- What inspectors find
- Quiz: 5 questions
Try it
Signs and markings on the way from cabin to muster station
In plain words
Shipboard safety signs come in a few families, and you can tell them apart by colour and shape before you can read the symbol:
- Green rectangles or squares: the way out, the muster station, first aid and life-saving equipment.
- Red squares: fire-fighting equipment, such as extinguishers, hoses and alarm points.
- Red circles with a bar: things you must not do.
- Yellow triangles: hazards to watch out for.
- Blue circles: things you must do, such as wearing a helmet or fastening a seat belt in a lifeboat.
The IMO resolution A.1116(30) says which symbols to use for each of these on a ship, and points to the ISO standards that define the exact designs. SOLAS then says where signs are required: along escape routes, on lockers and racks where life-saving equipment is stored, near survival craft, and on the fire control plan.
Ships built from 2019, and older ships when they are repaired or refitted in these areas, should use the A.1116(30) signs.
In detail
The instrument and what it replaced
Resolution A.1116(30), adopted on 5 December 2017, contains the escape route signs and equipment location markings in its annex, based on ISO 24409-2:2014. It recalls the earlier resolutions A.760(18) (symbols related to life-saving appliances, amended by MSC.82(70)) and A.952(23) (graphical symbols for fire control plans). Before it was adopted, MSC.1/Circ.1553 had already invited governments to use ISO 24409-2:2014 on a voluntary basis.
It applies to:
- ships constructed on or after 1 January 2019; and
- ships that undergo repairs, alterations, modifications and outfitting within the scope of SOLAS chapters II-2 and III on or after 1 January 2019.
Older ships that have not been altered may still carry signs to the earlier symbol sets. When a space is refitted, the new signs in that space should follow A.1116(30), so mixed sets on one ship are normal. Make sure the symbols on the fire control plan and the muster list match those on the bulkheads.
The SOLAS rules behind the signs
| SOLAS regulation | What it requires signs or symbols for |
|---|---|
| II-2/13.3.2.5.1 | Marking of escape routes on passenger ships, including low-location lighting |
| II-2/13.7 | Additional escape requirements for ro-ro passenger ships |
| II-2/15.2.4 | Fire control plans, permanently exhibited |
| III/9 | Operating instructions: posters or signs near survival craft and their launching controls, using IMO symbols |
| III/11 | Survival craft muster and embarkation arrangements |
| III/20.10 | Marking of stowage locations for life-saving equipment |
The categories
| Code | Category | Typical examples |
|---|---|---|
| MES | Means of escape | Shipboard assembly station (MES001), escape route direction, door-opening signs |
| EES | Emergency equipment | First aid (EES001), stretcher, medical grab bag, oxygen resuscitator, emergency escape breathing device, automated external defibrillator, shipboard general alarm |
| LSS | Life-saving systems and appliances | Lifeboat (LSS001), lifebuoy variants, lifejacket (LSS009), child’s and infant’s lifejackets (LSS010, LSS011), EPIRB, search and rescue transponder, rocket parachute flare, line-throwing appliance, embarkation ladder, survival clothing |
| FES | Fire-fighting equipment | Fire extinguisher (FES001), wheeled extinguisher, fixed fire-extinguishing installation, remote release station, fire monitor |
| PSS | Prohibition | General prohibition, not drinking water, no activated mobile phones, do not extinguish with water |
| WSS | Warning | General warning, flammable material, electricity, slippery surface |
| MSS | Mandatory action | General mandatory action, wear head protection, wear safety footwear, launch-sequence signs |
| SIS | Safety and operating instructions for trained personnel | Fire control plan symbols, such as fire dampers, remote stops, fire main valves |
The PSS, WSS and MSS categories follow the P, W and M categories of ISO 7010. Table 2 of the annex gives a set of mandatory action signs that can be displayed together to show the launch sequence for a lifeboat, rescue boat or liferaft (fasten seat belts, close hatches, start engine, lower to the water, release falls, start water spray and air supply). Table 3 gives the SIS signs for fire control equipment, aligned with ISO 17631.
The standards it points to
- ISO 3864: safety colours and safety signs (colours, shapes, design).
- ISO 7010: registered safety signs, the source of each symbol’s design.
- ISO 17631: shipboard plans for fire protection, life-saving appliances and means of escape.
- ISO 24409-1: design, location and use of shipboard safety signs, part 1, design principles.
- ISO 24409-2: the shipboard sign catalogue on which the A.1116(30) annex is based.
The resolution itself warns that colours in its annex are not true reproductions and should not be used for colour matching. Buy signs made to the ISO definitions, and photoluminescent signs where the flag or SOLAS requires them.
Checking signs on board
- Start at the fire control plan and the muster list: confirm the symbols match those on board and that the plan shows the current arrangement.
- Walk each escape route from the cabins and work spaces to the muster station. Every turn and door should have a sign, and arrows should point the right way.
- On passenger ships, check that low-location lighting is continuous and works, or that photoluminescent strips glow after the lights are turned off.
- Check every locker, bracket and rack for life-saving equipment: right symbol, and the number of items if more than one.
- At each survival craft and launching station: operating instructions or posters, readable under emergency lighting.
- At each fire-fighting equipment location: the right FES sign, visible from the approach.
- After any refit, check that new signs follow A.1116(30) and that old and new signs in the same space do not contradict each other.
What the rules say
- Resolution A.1116(30), adopted 5 December 2017, sets out the escape route signs and equipment location markings, and its annex is based on ISO 24409-2:2014.1
- Paragraph 4 of A.1116(30) states that the signs “should take effect on ships constructed on or after 1 January 2019” or ships repaired, altered or modified within the scope of SOLAS chapters II-2 and III on or after that date.1
- A.1116(30) lists SOLAS regulations II-2/15.2.4, II-2/13.3.2.5.1, II-2/13.7, III/9, III/11 and III/20.10 as the requirements its signs serve.1
- The annex of A.1116(30) groups signs into eight categories: MES, EES, LSS, FES, PSS, WSS, MSS and SIS.1
- A.1116(30) is to be used with resolution A.952(23) for preparing the fire control plans required by SOLAS regulation II-2/15.2.4.1
- The annual safety equipment survey includes confirming that there are posters or signs near survival craft, their launching stations and stowage locations for life-saving equipment (HSSC item (EA) 1.2.2.26).3
- The annual survey also confirms that fire control plans are permanently exhibited, or emergency booklets provided, with a duplicate in a prominently marked enclosure outside the deckhouse (HSSC item (EA) 1.2.1.9).3
- For passenger ships, the renewal survey confirms that escape stairways and ladders, including the low-location lighting system, are maintained (HSSC item (PR) 5.2.2.85).3
- SOLAS regulation III/20.10 requires stowage locations for life-saving equipment to be marked with symbols in accordance with IMO recommendations, including the number of devices where more than one is stored.2
Flag and class notes
A.1116(30) is a recommendation that flags apply through SOLAS chapters II-2 and III, so the flag decides how strictly it is enforced on existing ships and whether photoluminescent signs are required beyond SOLAS. Check the flag’s circulars and the RO’s interpretation for your ship’s construction date.13 Class societies review the fire control plan and the safety plan at new building and after modifications; send revised plans for approval when signs or equipment positions change, and keep the duplicate set in the external enclosure up to date.3 When you order signs, ask the supplier which ISO 7010 and ISO 24409 references they are made to, and for photoluminescent signs, the performance class.
Key numbers
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| A.1116(30) adopted | 5 December 20171 |
| Applies to ships constructed, or altered within SOLAS II-2/III scope | On or after 1 January 20191 |
| Sign categories in the annex | 8 (MES, EES, LSS, FES, PSS, WSS, MSS, SIS)1 |
| ISO edition the annex is based on | ISO 24409-2:20141 |
| Voluntary use of ISO 24409-2 invited by | MSC.1/Circ.15531 |
| Signs at survival craft and stowage locations checked | Every annual safety equipment survey3 |
What inspectors find
- Lockers and racks with no symbol, or the wrong one: an immersion suit locker marked as a lifejacket locker, a lifebuoy with light marked as a plain lifebuoy.2
- Fire control plans that do not match the ship after a refit, or a missing duplicate in the external enclosure.3
- Escape route arrows pointing into a space that has since been closed off, or signs hidden behind new equipment.
- Faded or peeling photoluminescent signs that no longer glow, and low-location lighting with sections not working on passenger ships.3
- Launching instructions at the davit missing, unreadable or in a language the crew does not understand.3
- In PSC statistics these findings sit inside the fire safety and life-saving appliance categories, which together made up about 33% of all deficiencies in the Tokyo MOU region in 2025.4
FAQ
Do we have to replace all the old IMO symbols on a ship built in 2010?
Not automatically. A.1116(30) applies to ships built from 2019 and to spaces repaired, altered or refitted from 2019. Check whether your flag requires more.
Are ISO 7010 signs the same as IMO signs?
Many are. A.1116(30) uses ISO 7010 symbols for most categories and ISO 17631 symbols for fire control signs, so a sign made to the right ISO 7010 reference is usually the IMO sign.
Must escape signs be photoluminescent?
SOLAS requires low-location lighting or photoluminescent indicators along escape routes on passenger ships carrying more than 36 passengers (regulation II-2/13.3.2.5.1). For other signs and other ship types, follow your flag’s rules and the RO’s interpretation.
Where do the signs for the fire control plan come from?
From resolution A.952(23) and ISO 17631. A.1116(30) table 3 lists the matching SIS signs for use on board.
Quiz5 questions
Sources
- 1
IMO Resolution A.1116(30), Escape route signs and equipment location markings, adopted 5 December 2017, preamble, operative paragraph 4 and Annex sections 1 to 3 with tables 1 to 3. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/AssemblyDocuments/A.1116(30).pdf
- 2
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, as amended, regulations II-2/13, II-2/15.2.4, III/9, III/11 and III/20.10 (IMO publication). https://www.imo.org/en/About/Conventions/Pages/International-Convention-for-the-Safety-of-Life-at-Sea-(SOLAS),-1974.aspx
- 3
IMO Resolution A.1207(34), Survey Guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC), 2025, Annex 1, items (EA) 1.2.1.9, (EA) 1.2.2.18, (EA) 1.2.2.26 and (PR) 5.2.2.85. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/OurWork/IIIS/Documents/A%2034-Res.1207%20-%20SURVEY%20GUIDELINES%20UNDER%20THE%20HARMONIZED%20SYSTEMOF%20SURVEY%20AND%20CERTIFICATION%20(HSSC),%202025%20(Secretariat).pdf
- 4
Tokyo MOU, Annual Report on Port State Control in the Asia-Pacific Region 2025, figure 7 (deficiencies by main categories: fire safety 19.98%, life-saving appliances 13.11%). https://www.tokyo-mou.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/ANN25.pdf
Rules checked 20 October 2026. VSL Safety is not an approved training provider and doesn't issue certificates. These lessons don't replace STCW training, or the manufacturer's training and certification that service technicians need.
