Chapter XIII (SOLAS)

SOLAS Chapter XIII, in force from 1 January 2016, makes verification of compliance mandatory by requiring contracting governments to be audited under the IMO Member State Audit Scheme against the III Code. It is the SOLAS hook that converted the previously voluntary audit scheme into a binding obligation, mirrored by parallel amendments to MARPOL, Load Lines, Tonnage 1969, COLREG, and STCW.