Vessel under Polish flag: what mandatory safety equipment is required?

You have chosen a Polish registration for your motorboat or sailboat, and you are about to set sail? Sea safety equipment, navigation equipment, signaling equipment, communication devices, fire protection systems, onboard equipment... The Bateau-immatriculation.com team reviews the mandatory safety equipment to be carried under the Polish flag.

Would you like to learn more about the Polish flag? Find our article on the advantages and disadvantages of registering your boat under the Polish flag

This is the reference text. Regarding the safety conditions for the navigation of "sea yachts," the regulatory document defines the mandatory safety equipment under the Polish flag, based on two main criteria: the length of the vessels and the navigation area concerned. Two distinct cases are presented: pleasure craft less than 24 meters in length and pleasure craft 24 meters or more in length.

First of all, it's important to know that the list of safety equipment to be carried when sailing under the Polish flag varies depending on the intended sailing area. Thus, depending on your distance from a shelter, the mandatory safety equipment to be held on board your vessel will not be the same.

To help you define the mandatory safety equipment to be carried, we will detail below the list of common equipment for all boats with a hull length of less than 24 meters flying the Polish flag. Then, we will explain what additional equipment must be carried, depending on the envisaged distance from shore.

Mandatory safety equipment for Polish-flagged vessels with a hull length of less than 24 meters includes several categories: navigation equipment, life-saving devices, signaling and radio communication equipment, fire protection systems, and onboard equipment.

For all Polish-flagged vessels under 24 meters, here is a list of mandatory equipment to be carried on board, regardless of the navigation area:

• A magnetic compass certified by an approved organization
• A pair of binoculars
• A marine chart work kit
• Marine charts of the navigation areas, up-to-date and corrected. If these are held in digital format, the skipper must have paper duplicates, or a duplication of the system.
• A list of marine lights, for navigations exceeding 24 hours.
• The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, or COLREGs
• For vessels with a gross tonnage of less than 200, a certified radar reflector installed in accordance with regulations

To be able to signal to other users, if necessary, the skipper of a vessel under 24 metres must be equipped with appropriate equipment. They must equip their unit with a masthead light, day signals, and signalling equipment compliant with the requirements of the Convention for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea of the law of 18 August 2011 relating to maritime safety.

Yachts operating under surveillance are exempt from the obligation to carry signalling equipment.

The skipper must carry at least one VHF device, near which emergency call procedures must be detailed. They must be able to consult and receive weather forecasts and warnings.

The obligation to be equipped with fire protection equipment does not apply to engineless vessels without electrical installations and not equipped with a stove. For all other vessels under 24 meters long under the Polish flag, the minimum fire protection equipment includes:

• 1 ABC fire extinguisher (2 kg) for the main helm station or cockpit
• 1 ABC fire extinguisher (2 kg) every 20 m² of living area, or for each compartment separated from the rest of the vessel by fixed bulkheads
• 1 ABC fire extinguisher (2 kg) or a fire blanket and 1 ABC fire extinguisher (1 kg) for each open-flame appliance (but if the space has helm stations or a cockpit and serves as a living area with an open-flame device, the extinguisher already provided for that compartment is sufficient)
• 1 ABC fire extinguisher (2 kg) if the vessel is equipped with an outboard engine (but if it is located inside the helm station or cockpit, the one provided for that space is also sufficient)
• 1 ABC fire extinguisher (4 kg) or 2 ABC fire extinguishers (2 kg) for vessels equipped with engine(s) with a total power of up to 120 kW; or 2 ABC fire extinguishers (4 kg) if the total power of the engine(s) is over 120 kW. This equipment must be placed outside the engine compartment, but less than 2 meters from the extinguishing opening in the engine casing

Each fire extinguishing equipment must be easily accessible, marked with the appropriate ISO symbol, and subject to periodic inspections. The vessel must also be equipped with instructions for the captain and user, specifying in particular the various fire protection equipment on board, maintenance operations carried out, and any additional necessary warnings.

If a fixed fire extinguishing system is used under the supervision of a classifier, fire extinguishers are not required.

Regardless of the vessel and its navigation area, it is necessary to equip it with anchoring equipment adapted to the boat's size and characteristics. This must be accompanied by chain or rope.

It is also mandatory to have on board a set of tools and spare parts necessary to carry out any repairs, and for sailboats with a hull length of more than 12 meters, shears capable of cutting the rigging. Finally, a first aid kit is also required.

To navigate at sea on their vessel, the skipper must first embark equipment related to sea rescue. On their boat, they must have, at a minimum:

• Two lifebuoys: a first with a light float and a mast topped with a flag, and a second with a lifeline.
• One orange floating smoke signal.
• A suitable life jacket for each person on board, equipped with lights if the planned journey is for more than 24 hours. If inflatable life jackets are carried, they must be able to activate automatically when they fall into the water. It is also necessary to have spare cartridges for at least 10% of the stock of inflatable life jackets and the number of people on board (the maximum amount being retained). The number of spare cartridges on board must not be less than 1.
• 3 red parachute flares.

Up to 6 miles from a shelter, half of the people on board must be able to be equipped with a safety harness. If the life jackets provided for crew members are equipped with a harness, there is no need to provide additional equipment.

To sail under the Polish flag from 6 to 20 nautical miles from a shelter, the mandatory life-saving equipment to be carried on board is the same as before. However, beyond 6 miles from a shelter, all vessels must also be equipped with one or more inflatable life rafts to accommodate all passengers if necessary. These life rafts must be certified, and the skipper must be able to present a valid certificate in case of inspection.

You will also need to carry 6 red parachute flares on board and provide a harness for each passenger. If the life jackets are equipped with a harness, it is still not necessary to purchase additional equipment.

To the list of mandatory navigation equipment for all boats under the Polish flag, regardless of the navigation area, a boater wishing to navigate between 6 and 20 nautical miles from a shelter must add:

• An aneroid barometer
• A publication detailing the symbols and abbreviations used on marine charts
• A satellite navigation system receiver, such as a GPS
• A tide table, if applicable to the navigation area concerned
• For vessels at least 20 meters long, a radar

To sail in offshore and oceanic waters under the Polish flag, the same safety equipment as above is required. One exception, however: red parachute flares, of which there must be a minimum of twelve.

To the list of mandatory navigation equipment for up to 20 nautical miles from a shelter, the boater wishing to navigate under the Polish flag at a distance of 20 to 200 nautical miles from a shelter must add:

• A depth measurement system
• The International Code of Signals
• A chronometer

For offshore navigation up to 200 miles from a shelter, the vessel must be equipped with a fixed VHF radio with Digital Selective Calling (DSC). The crew must also have at least one 406 MHz EPIRB (Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon). This must be registered in the onboard personal emergency beacon registry.

They are the same as before. However, for vessels with a hull length greater than 15 meters navigating more than 200 miles from a shelter, the minimum number of lifebuoys is increased to 4.

A magnetic compass or backup bearing compass, also certified by an approved body, must be added to all previously listed navigation equipment.

In addition to the equipment required for navigation zones closer to a shelter, the following must also be carried:

• A satellite terminal, or an MF/HF VHF with DSC system, or a satellite mobile phone with access to the emergency number of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre
• A Search and Rescue Transponder (SART) or an AIS Search and Rescue Transponder (AIS SART).

First, there is the safety equipment that must be held by all vessels 24 meters or more in length, under the Polish flag, regardless of the intended navigation area.

As with vessels under 24 meters, there are several categories: navigation equipment, life-saving devices, signaling equipment, radio communication equipment, fire protection systems, and onboard equipment.

For all vessels over 24 meters under the Polish flag, here is the list of what is mandatory to carry.

• A magnetic compass
• A satellite navigation receiver system, such as a GPS
• An anemometer
• An inclinometer
• A rudder angle indicator
• An aneroid barometer
• A pair of binoculars
• A depth sounder
• Navigation instruments: navigation triangle, parallel rule, and navigation compass
• Up-to-date and corrected nautical charts for the areas concerned. If these are held in digital format, the skipper must have paper duplicates or a duplicate of the system
• Pilot book
• A publication detailing the list of maritime lights, for voyages exceeding 24 hours
• The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, or COLREGs
• The International Code of Signals
• A radar
• For vessels with a gross tonnage of less than 200, a certified radar reflector installed in accordance with regulations

• A line-throwing appliance (minimum 2 projectiles and 2 lines)
• One suitable lifejacket for each person on board, plus two spare lifejackets or 10% of the total number of persons on board, whichever is greater. All lifejackets must be fitted with lights and whistles complying with the requirements of the LSA Code (or International Life-Saving Appliance Code)
• Four lifebuoys: two lifebuoys fitted with a self-igniting light and a self-activating smoke signal (or two self-igniting lights and two self-activating smoke signals), and two lifebuoys fitted with a lifeline
• 6 red parachute flares
• Inflatable liferafts with SOLAS B pack and hydrostatic release, with sufficient capacity to accommodate all persons on board
• A rescue boat complying with the requirements of the LSA Code, or any other rigid, inflatable or rigid inflatable boat. This must have a capacity for at least 4 persons, including one person lying down. A device allowing the boat to be launched within a maximum of 5 minutes must also be provided, as well as means for the safe return of the crew to the ship, or for the recovery of a person in distress

Signalling equipment for pleasure craft at sea must comply with the approved Arrangement Plan of Navigation Lights and Signalling Panels, meeting the requirements of the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, as referred to in Article 5, paragraph 33, point a), of the Law of 18 August 2011 on maritime safety.

It is also mandatory to carry spare navigation lights on board.

• A fixed VHF with Digital Selective Calling (DSC)
• A 406 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) registered with the national beacon registration database
• A Search and Rescue Transponder (SART) or an AIS Search and Rescue Transponder (AIS SART)
• 2 two-way radiotelephones
• A radio receiver capable of receiving weather forecasts and navigational warnings for the area in which the vessel is operating

Regarding fire protection on board a Polish-flagged vessel over 24 meters, several general rules apply:

A group of rooms with a total area of up to 50 m² can be equipped with a single fire extinguisher per corridor, provided that all the different spaces open onto the same corridor. If there are multiple extinguishers in a single room, at least one of these extinguishers must be located near the entrance.

Fire protection equipment must be located in an easily accessible and visible place, protected from weather conditions and vibrations. Near electrical and electronic devices essential for the safety of the vessel, fire extinguishers must include a fire extinguishing agent that is neither electrically conductive nor harmful to equipment and devices.

Fire extinguishers must not be located within one meter of a potential fire source. They must be marked with photoluminescent symbols, certified by an approved body and, of course, be maintained in good working order, ready for use at sea or in port. Each fire extinguisher must be equipped with a device indicating that it has been discharged after use.

In Category A machinery spaces, fire extinguishers must be placed so that they are no more than 10 meters apart.

It is mandatory to have on board a vessel over 24 meters in length and with a gross tonnage of less than 500, at least one dry powder or CO2 fire extinguisher with a capacity of at least 5 kilograms, or a foam fire extinguisher with a capacity of at least 9 liters. The mass of a portable fire extinguisher must not exceed 23 kilograms, and its extinguishing capacity must be at least equivalent to that of a 9-liter liquid extinguisher. The extinguishing agent used in the extinguisher must be suitable for the class of fires that may occur in the area for which the extinguisher is intended. The number and type of fire extinguishers will be determined in the Fire Protection Plan.

Pressure hoses and universal nozzles must also be provided, in a number at least equal to the number of fire hydrant valves installed on the vessel. Finally, it is also necessary to equip the vessel with two fire blankets, a fire axe and a crowbar, as well as a pair of fire-resistant gloves.

Internal inspections of fire protection equipment must be carried out by the captain or a designated crew member, regularly and assiduously, every 3 months. Each inspection performed must be recorded.

Mandatory fire protection equipment to be carried on board a vessel over 24 meters long and with a gross tonnage of 500 or more, sailing under the Polish flag, is defined in Article 4 of the SOLAS Convention of the Act of August 18, 2011, on maritime safety.

On board these vessels, it will also be necessary to regularly inspect the fire protection equipment and maintain it in good working order, ready for immediate use. An officer responsible for these operations will be appointed by the ship's captain in accordance with the Maintenance and Survey Plan.

For owners of Polish-flagged vessels wishing to sail more than 20 nautical miles from a shelter, the safety equipment must be supplemented. There are variations in the equipment to be embarked and items to be added to the previously displayed list of safety equipment.

To go beyond 20 nautical miles from a shelter aboard a vessel over 24 meters flying the Polish flag, the same life-saving equipment as above will be required. However, the inflatable life rafts must this time be SOLAS A equipped. Another difference: the number of red parachute flares required to sail under the Polish flag more than 20 miles from a shelter is 12.

Finally, if the vessel's master plans to navigate in areas above parallel 60° N or below parallel 60° S, the Director of the Maritime Office will individually determine the additional equipment required for the voyage.

In addition to the aforementioned equipment, a navigator wishing to operate under the Polish flag more than 20 nautical miles from a safe haven must carry:

• A gyrocompass or a backup magnetic compass
• A second satellite navigation receiver system
• An additional pair of binoculars
• A tide table, if applicable to the navigation area concerned
• An AIS system, for units with a gross tonnage equal to or greater than 300

For offshore or oceanic navigation, in addition to the previous list, you will need to equip your vessel with a satellite terminal, an MF/HF radio-telephone with DSC system, or a satellite mobile phone with access to an emergency number.

Is your vessel registered under the Polish flag or the flag of another nationality, and you have doubts about the safety equipment to be carried? Do you have questions about the registration of your boat and the flag you should fly?

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