Acronym for the protocols laid down in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea 1974 organised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The SOLAS Convention in its successive forms is generally regarded as the
most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of merchant
ships. The first version was adopted in 1914, in response to the Titanic
disaster, the second in 1929, the third in 1948, and the fourth in 1960.

www.imo.org/Conventions/mainframe.asp?topic_id=250