Passenger ship (SOLAS)

A passenger ship under SOLAS is a ship that carries more than twelve passengers, a definition that brings it under the convention’s most demanding chapters for subdivision and damage stability, fire protection, life-saving appliances, and the issue of a Passenger Ship Safety Certificate. The twelve-passenger threshold is the dividing line that separates a passenger ship from a cargo ship carrying a few supernumeraries. The class spans ferries, ro-pax vessels, high-speed craft, and cruise ships, each with additional rules for its mode of operation.