[QUOTE=QuabbinHiker;170460]I of course do not know the full details of SOLAS as I am not in the industry, but I have an overall sense of what it is about. I focus on it from the sailing aspect. I happen to think that every single ship should be equipped with the latest safety equipment - no matter when the ship was built.
I strongly feel all large ships it should be mandatory for these to be equipped.
Totally Enclosed Life Boat, and Freefall Lifeboats.
For my sailboat, I always go overkill on the safety. I carry a SURVITEC OceanMaster SOLAS-A pack. It’s SOLAS, USCG, and NATO AQAP 1 approved. It cost me nearly $10,000. I have hosted up to 12 people on my sailboat, and have piloted it to Bermuda several times. I am planning a cross Atlantic tip for 2017.
For such a small boat, everyone laughs at me for such overkill on my liferaft. But when disaster happens, I won’t be laughing while I am in the raft waiting for the USCG to help me. I entire safety list is a true laugh to most people, it’s very overkill. So is my electronics package and triple redundant power backup. I have customized the heck out of my baby. I love her very much. 
I am a VERY conservative skipper, and everything I do is based in safety when I am on the salt.[/QUOTE]
You are not a ship owner. You are either a spoiled brat or narcissistic fool with no clue about seafarers beyond what you may have read or the local marina. Ship owners do what is needed to meet the minimum requirements to have a business.They aren’t into doing anything that costs them a penny more. If you don’t like the minimums write your senator. Those of us that have, had and do work on such vessels have NO control over the minimum safety requirements. We don’t have the luxury of overkill. We just go to work on whatever is available so that the public can have their Chinese/Indonesian/Norwegian made shit [like your SURVITEC OceanMaster SOLAS-A pack] delivered as cheaply as possible 12 months a year. Go call your congressman and demand we be fitted out with the latest and greatest safety equipment. Let us know how that works out for you.