It's important to note that (unless the Flag Administration specifies otherwise):
- SOLAS is applicable to ships on international voyages (Ch. I, Reg. 1);
- Unless provided otherwise (in the various chapters) SOLAS does not apply to ships of less than 500GT and Chapter III of SOLAS - that deals with lifesaving appliances - does not include those provisions; so Chapter III is not applicable;
- Considering the above the requirements for ships under 500GT, or not engaged on international voyages, are defined by the Flag.
All cargo ships (under SOLAS) must be provided with one rescue boat. A lifeboat may be accepted as a rescue boat if its launching/recovering appliances satisfy the requirements for a rescue boat.
Cargo ships must also be provided with totally enclosed lifeboat(s) with capacity for all persons on board.
For cargo ships below 85m (other than oil tankers, chemical tankers and gas carriers) the lifeboat(s) may be replaced by liferafts (subject to certain conditions).