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Construction, radio and marine equipment standards for merchant ships and special shipping.

• Updated: 18 September 2012

Life-saving and fire-fighting equipment that ships must carry and how to maintain and service it.

• Overview

  All ships must carry certain emergency and life-saving equipment. This…

• Life-saving equipment

  Merchant ships You can find information on the life-saving appliances that…

• Fire-fighting equipment

  Ships must carry certain fire-fighting equipment on board. Download ‘MSN…

• Safe use of emergency equipment

  All emergency life-saving equipment must be safe to use, and you must make…

• Servicing and testing emergency equipment

  Life-saving appliance testing Some life-saving equipment must be serviced…

• Help and advice

  You can contact the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) for further…

A collection of active merchant shipping notices, published by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

• Updated: 24 March 2026

Owners and operators of seagoing ships and large yachts are responsible for the health and safety of seafarers

• Updated: 3 September 2025

• Updated: 23 February 2017

A collection of active MINs, published by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

• Updated: 1 June 2026

This notice provides guidelines for the Merchant Shipping (Special Measures to Enhance Maritime Safety) Regulations 2024. It covers the process for obtaining ship, Company and Registered Owner IMO numbers and explains the application procedure for a CSR.

• Updated: 13 March 2024

Employers of seafarers on UK ships to submit this form when seafarers are diagnosed by a medical practitioner with an occupational disease.

• Updated: 19 June 2025