Safety Equipment · Life Jackets
LIFE JACKET WITH WHISTLE, FOR ADULT MED APPROVED 330148
MED adult SOLAS lifejacket with whistle: who an adult jacket fits under the LSA Code, the 140 kg rule, the light it needs and the wheel mark.
What it is
IMPA 330148 is the adult SOLAS lifejacket with whistle, approved under the EU Marine Equipment Directive (MED). It is the version for ships whose flag requires MED (wheel-marked) life-saving appliances, for each adult on board.
Under the LSA Code as amended by MSC.207(81), lifejackets come in three sizes. An adult jacket is for a person of 43 kg or more, or 155 cm or taller. A child jacket covers 15 to 43 kg or 100 to 155 cm, and an infant jacket less than 15 kg or less than 100 cm. A jacket may carry two adjacent size marks only if it fully meets both, and the ranges may not be divided.[1]
How to specify and order it
The code fixes the size (adult) and the approval (MED). Order child and infant jackets on their own lines: the MED codes in this family are 330149 and 330150. The other adult codes carry a different approval: Hong Kong (330131), USCG (330134) and UK DOT (330138).
Check the large-wearer provision. If an adult jacket is not designed to fit persons up to 140 kg with a chest girth up to 1,750 mm, suitable accessories must be available to secure it to such persons. Ask whether the offered model fits that range or needs an extension strap, and order the straps with the jackets.[1]
The jacket has to take a light. The Code requires a means to secure a lifejacket light, a whistle on a lanyard, a releasable buoyant line to link to another wearer, and a means for a rescuer to lift the wearer from the water. The light is a separate MED item (MED/1.2c), so order it in the same requisition. Ask for a light the jacket maker accepts, since lights and whistles must be chosen so that together they do not degrade the jacket’s performance.[1][2]
Rules and approvals
Lifejackets are item MED/1.4 under the Marine Equipment Directive, and the item’s standards were updated by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1533, in force from 23 September 2025. The maker shows conformity by fixing the wheel mark to the product and issuing a Declaration of Conformity, based on Module B+D, B+E, B+F or Module G certificates. Ask for the Declaration of Conformity with the delivery.[2]
Performance under the amended Code: at least 75 % of people unfamiliar with the jacket must be able to don it correctly within 1 minute without help, closure must not need knots, and the wearer must be able to jump from at least 4.5 m holding the jacket without injury or damage. In-water performance is judged against a standard reference test device (RTD). Buoyancy may not drop by more than 5 % after 24 hours in fresh water.[1]
The light the jacket carries must give at least 0.75 cd in all directions of the upper hemisphere for at least 8 hours and be white. A flashing light must have a manual switch and flash 50 to 70 times a minute.[1]
Questions buyers ask
- Who counts as an adult for a SOLAS lifejacket?
- A person of 43 kg or more, or 155 cm or taller, under the LSA Code size table introduced by MSC.207(81). Below that a child jacket applies, and under 15 kg or 100 cm an infant jacket.
- Does the MED adult lifejacket come with a light?
- The jacket must have a means to secure a light, but the light is a separate MED item. Order it with the jackets and choose one the jacket maker accepts.
Sources
- IMO Resolution MSC.207(81): Amendments to the LSA Code (lifebuoys, lifejackets), in force 1 July 2010
- DNV: Updated Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1533 amending the MED, in force 23 September 2025
No prices: offers come from suppliers at the port.
Published by Sherif Awad, founder of GeoMarineHub — in ship supply since 1990, a family business since 1981 (45 years). Last checked .
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