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Home › SOLAS Operations › Helicopter Operations and Helideck Safety
Operational guide · Operational procedure

Helicopter Operations and Helideck Safety

Helicopter operations require dedicated firefighting personnel during refuelling, safety devices on the helideck and rigorous coordination with the flight crew: an area often neglected in general crew training.

helideckhelicopter operationsSOLAS III/28helicopter

Operational Explanation

Onboard helicopter operations (personnel transfer, medical evacuation, refuelling) require a dedicated area (helicopter landing area/helideck) compliant with specific construction and operational standards, distinct from the ship's normal safety requirements. Although mandatory only for specific ship categories (a landing area on ro-ro passenger ships ≥130 m under SOLAS III/28.2, a pick-up area on all ro-ro passenger ships under SOLAS III/28.1), helicopter operability potentially concerns any ship in medical emergency or evacuation situations.

The helideck's manoeuvring area must have a diameter not less than the helicopter's overall length (rotors turning included), and its construction, if it forms the roof of a superstructure, must be insulated to A-60 class with access for firefighting and rescue personnel positioned, where possible, on opposite sides of the helideck.

Regulatory Reference

SOLAS Regulation III/28.1 requires a helicopter pick-up area on all ro-ro passenger ships, with no length threshold; SOLAS Regulation III/28.2 requires a helicopter landing area on ro-ro passenger ships of 130 m in length and upwards constructed on or after 1 July 1999. Until 31 December 2001 the paragraph read “Passenger ships” and therefore covered cruise ships too; resolution MSC.91(72) of 26 May 2000, in force from 1 January 2002, replaced those words with “Ro-ro passenger ships”. In the meantime MSC/Circ.907 of 17 June 1999 had already stated that non ro-ro passenger ships “need not be fitted with helicopter landing areas”. A non ro-ro cruise ship, today, is not under that obligation. The standard the Regulation points to (“recommendations adopted by the Organization”) is MSC/Circ.895 of 4 February 1999, as amended by MSC.1/Circ.1524 (2016); for on-board facilities the standard remains resolution A.855(20) of 27 November 1997, Standards for on-board helicopter facilities. Regulation II-2/18 governs the helideck's firefighting systems.

Chapter 17 of the FSS Code, Helicopter Facility Foam Firefighting Appliances, is not under development: it has been in force since 1 January 2020. It was adopted by resolution MSC.403(96) of 19 May 2016, and on the same date resolution MSC.404(96) created its Convention hook, inserting SOLAS Regulation II-2/18.2.3: “Notwithstanding the requirements of paragraph 2.2 above, ships constructed on or after 1 January 2020, having a helicopter landing area, shall be provided with foam firefighting appliances which comply with the relevant provisions of chapter 17 of the Fire Safety Systems Code”. The same resolution inserted Regulation II-2/18.5.1.6, which for ships with a helideck constructed on or after 1 January 2020 prescribes foam appliances “in lieu of the requirements of paragraphs 5.1.3 through 5.1.5” and points to the FSS Code without naming chapter 17: the two Regulations are not symmetrical and operate on different premises.

Two points that change how this applies in practice. First, the obligation bears on ships constructed on or after 1 January 2020; it is not a retrofit requirement on existing ships. Second, helicopter landing area and helideck are two distinct defined terms in SOLAS II-2/3, and the two Regulations do not overlap — establish which one applies to your unit before assuming either.

Scope of Application

Distinguish certified helidecks/helicopter facilities from areas used for occasional or emergency landing or winching. The latter follows the ship's procedure, operator coordination and A.855(20) §5 without automatically importing helideck construction standards.

Procedure / How to Complete It

  1. Identify whether the operation uses a certified facility or an occasional/emergency area.
  2. For every planned operation make at least two trained rescue/fire-fighting persons and the equipment immediately available.
  3. During refuelling those persons must be present and not take part in refuelling.
  4. Coordinate risks, communications and limits with operator and ship procedure.

Practical Example

Example: before an emergency medical transfer, the Master designates the dedicated firefighting personnel for the helideck, verifies wind conditions and the availability of the manoeuvring area by radio with the pilot, and conducts a quick briefing with the crew involved on roles and escape routes in case of an emergency during the operation.

What Typically Goes Wrong

Industry guidelines (Guide to Helicopter/Ship Operations) arose precisely from analysing incidents in which a lack of coordination between the ship's crew and the flight crew, or the absence of dedicated firefighting personnel during refuelling, turned routine operations into emergencies, highlighting that this area requires specific preparation, distinct from the ship's general firefighting training.

Common Mistakes Mistake Library

MistakeConsequenceHow to avoid it
Helicopter operation conducted without dedicated firefighting personnel present during refuellingCritical response time lost in the event of ignition during refuellingAlways designate and position dedicated firefighting personnel before refuelling begins
Coordination with the flight crew limited to informal last-minute communicationsMisunderstandings over signage, reference points or operational conditionsAlways conduct structured radio coordination before approach
Non-essential personnel not kept clear of the manoeuvring area during operationsRisk of injury from the rotor or flying objects during landing/take-offRigorously delimit and enforce the safety zone during every operation

What the PSCO Checks

Helicopter operations are not typically subject to routine PSC verification, but on ships fitted with a certified helideck, Port State Control Officers (PSCOs) may verify the structural compliance of the area and the availability of the dedicated firefighting equipment required by SOLAS II-2/18.

Operational Tips

Preparation checklist

FAQ

Which ships must have a helicopter landing area?
Ro-ro passenger ships of 130 m in length and upwards constructed on or after 1 July 1999, under SOLAS Regulation III/28.2, which in the text in force reads “Ro-ro passenger ships”. Not passenger ships as such: a cruise ship that is not a ro-ro does not carry this obligation, whatever its length. All ro-ro passenger ships, with no length threshold, must also be provided with a helicopter pick-up area under SOLAS Regulation III/28.1, which is likewise addressed to ro-ro ships only. Other ships may have either on a voluntary basis.
Why is dedicated firefighting personnel needed during helicopter refuelling?
Because refuelling is the highest-risk ignition phase of helicopter operations, requiring an immediate response in the event of a spill or a fire starting.
Does a cruise ship over 130 m need a helicopter landing area?
Not unless it is a ro-ro. SOLAS III/28.2 read “Passenger ships” until 31 December 2001; from 1 January 2002 it reads “Ro-ro passenger ships”, by resolution MSC.91(72). The pick-up area of Regulation III/28.1 is likewise limited to ro-ro passenger ships. A non ro-ro cruise ship therefore has neither as a Convention obligation — which does not mean it can afford to be unprepared for a helicopter medical evacuation, an operational problem before it is a regulatory one.

Related Topics

Fire Drill and Fire SafetyShip Security Plan and the ISPS Code

Last substantive revision of this page: 20 August 2026 · page fingerprint d36f0c1ad789