Posted by Nicky Smol on April 24, 2025 in Other news
When it comes to safety at sea, visibility can be the difference between rescue and disaster. One simple yet powerful visibility tool in maritime safety is reflective tape. At T-ISS, we’ve worked with countless shipping companies, offshore platforms, and safety professionals – and over the years, we have witnessed ourselves just how essential good quality reflective tape can be.
In this article, we’ll walk you through what reflective tape does, why it matters at sea, and why our Solasflex Retro Reflective Tape is the best available on the market for maritime use.
Reflective tape is a high-visibility tape, designed to enhance the visibility of life-saving equipment at sea by reflecting light, making objects more visible in low-light conditions. In maritime environments, this can be life-saving. In an emergency situation during night-time or with other low-visibility conditions such as power outages, reflective tape is an absolute game changer.
At T-ISS, We’ve seen firsthand how even a small strip of our high-quality Solasflex Reflective Tape on a life raft can significantly increase visibility in low-light conditions. It’s a low-cost, high-impact safety measure.
In many cases, reflective tape is indeed required. However, even when reflective tape is not mandatory, it is still highly recommended. Under SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) regulations, certain maritime equipment must be fitted with reflective materials. This includes:
In our experience, Safety Inspections (especially those carried out under IMO and SOLAS regulations) sometimes fail for a surprisingly simple reason: the reflective tape used on life-saving equipment doesn’t meet the required standards, or it has degraded over time.
SOLAS regulations IMO A.658(16) clearly define the performance criteria for reflective materials used on equipment like life jackets, life rafts, and lifeboats. For example, Type I tape is intended for use in indoor or sheltered environments, while Type II must withstand continuous outdoor exposure, including extreme weather and saltwater conditions. At T-ISS, we have seen cases where using the wrong type – or low-quality alternatives – led to costly re-inspections, delays, or even grounding of a vessel.
That is why we always advise using SolasFlex Retro Reflective tape from T-ISS, because it is a SOLAS-approved Type II reflective tape, especially for marine and offshore applications. It ensures compliance, enhances visibility in critical situations, and ultimately saves you time, money, and potentially even the lives of your crew and passengers.
Reflective tape is used across a wide range of marine and offshore equipment, but the following examples are the most common:
By applying SolasFlex Retro Reflective Tape, life-saving appliances such as life jackets, life rafts, and lifeboats become highly visible—even in the most challenging conditions. To suit a wide range of applications, Reflective Tape by T-ISS is available in two variants: a self-adhesive version for smooth surfaces, and a stitchable version for textiles such as life jackets or immersion suits.
When it comes to safety, we at T-ISS firmly believe there is no room for mistakes. Not all reflective tapes on the market are the same: while lower-quality options might seem cost-effective upfront, they often fail to perform under real-world maritime conditions.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen firsthand how cheap alternatives can fade, peel, or lose reflectivity when exposed to UV, saltwater, or extreme temperatures. The result? Failed inspections, increased replacement costs, or worse—reduced visibility in critical life-saving situations.
Curious what the difference is between our SolasFlex Retro Reflective tapes and the ‘cheaper’ ones on the market? Let’s have a look:
Applying reflective tape sounds simple, but doing it properly makes all the difference. Here’s how we recommend it:
In our experience, these steps help the tape last significantly longer – and keep your vessel compliant with maritime regulations.
SOLAS reflective tape is a specific tape with reflective properties that meets all requirements set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for maritime safety. Reflective tapes are used in the maritime and offshore industry to increase safety on ships.
Reflective tape used in the maritime and offshore industry must comply with IMO Resolution A.658(16) under SOLAS regulations. Reflective tape must be retro-reflective, highly visible in both dry and wet conditions, and resistant to UV, saltwater, and extreme weather.
There are two types: Type I, for indoor or protected use, and Type II, for continuous outdoor exposure. Most marine applications require Type II. Additionally, in some jurisdictions like the United States, the tape must meet USCG standards (46 CFR Part 164). It must be applied to life-saving appliances such as life jackets, lifeboats, and rafts, and remain durable and effective during inspections and real-life rescue situations.
If you have any questions regarding the rules for Reflective Tape in your country or jurisdiction, please feel free to contact us. Our team is always ready for you!
Yes, reflective tape is mandatory for many life-saving appliances used in the maritime and offshore industry under SOLAS regulations (IMO Resolution A.658(16)). It must be applied to equipment such as life jackets, lifeboats, life rafts, and rescue boats to ensure visibility during search and rescue operations, especially in low-light or emergency conditions. The use of SOLAS-approved reflective tape—particularly Type II for outdoor exposure—is required to pass safety inspections and remain compliant with international maritime safety standards.
The IMPA code for SOLAS Reflective Tape is 330178, which refers to retro-reflective tape used on life-saving appliances in compliance with SOLAS requirements. The corresponding ISSA code is 4701010. These standardized codes help ensure that vessels and suppliers order the correct, regulation-compliant reflective tape for maritime safety applications.
Yes – and in fact, it should be. SOLAS-compliant life rafts are required to have reflective markings.
Depending on the quality, up to 5–7 years. T-ISS SolasFlex Retro Reflective tape is tested for long-term UV and saltwater exposure.
SOLAS-certified tapes like ours are made for marine conditions – they resist both water and sun.
At T-ISS, we specialize in marine safety solutions. Our reflective tapes are:
We’re proud to support safer seas, one meter of tape at a time.
