Survival craft distress signal
Identifies a survival craft distress signal.
Understanding this sign
Green square or rectangular signs identify emergency escape routes, safety facilities, and rescue equipment.
Follow the complete wayfinding system and local emergency plan. A symbol alone does not establish a safe route.
What ISO 7010 E048 Identifies
E048 points to the stowage place of a survival craft's distress signals — the sealed pyrotechnic outfit that every SOLAS lifeboat and liferaft carries so its occupants can attract attention after abandoning ship. The green-and-white pictogram shows a hand-held signal in use, and it belongs to the family of survival-equipment location signs that map the contents of the ship's life-saving appliance plan onto physical stowage points.
The outfit behind this sign is a mixed kit rather than a single device. Under the IMO Life-Saving Appliance (LSA) Code, survival craft carry a combination of rocket parachute flares for long-range night signalling, hand flares for close-range signalling, and buoyant smoke signals that lay an orange smoke trail for daytime location by aircraft. Each type has prescribed brightness, colour, and burn-duration performance; together they cover day, night, distance, and final approach.
E048 Versus E049: Outfit Versus Single Device
ISO 7010 gives the rocket parachute flare its own sign, E049, because ships also stow those flares outside survival craft — notably on the navigation bridge for signalling before any evacuation happens. E048 is the broader referent: it marks where a survival craft's complete distress-signal outfit, or a locker of mixed pyrotechnics for the boats, is kept.
In a shipboard signage survey, use E048 at pyrotechnic lockers serving the lifeboats and at any dedicated stowage of hand flares and smoke signals, and reserve E049 for locations where rocket parachute flares specifically are held. Mislabelling matters here: in a night evacuation a crew member sent for smoke signals must not arrive at a locker containing only parachute rockets.
Placement, Stowage, and Drill Practice
Pyrotechnics are dangerous goods, so their stowage location balances two demands: immediately reachable during embarkation, yet protected from heat, moisture, and unauthorized handling. E048 should be fixed on the locker or container itself and repeated with a directional arrow where the locker sits away from the embarkation deck sightline. IMO Resolution A.1116(30) brought shipboard equipment-location markings into line with ISO 7010, so this symbol is what surveyors now expect to see.
Signage only works if drills use it. Abandon-ship training should have crew physically locate the E048-marked stowage, check expiry dates — marine pyrotechnics carry a limited service life and must be replaced before expiry — and rehearse the firing instructions printed on each signal, because reading instructions for the first time in a pitching liferaft is a documented failure mode.
Where you will see E048
Fixed on pyrotechnic lockers serving a ship's lifeboats and on any dedicated stowage of hand flares and smoke signals, the sign is repeated with a directional arrow where the locker sits off the embarkation deck sightline. Abandon-ship drills have crew physically locate the marked stowage and check expiry dates, and IMO Resolution A.1116(30) brought shipboard equipment-location markings into line with this ISO 7010 symbol.
Common questions about E048
What distress signals does a lifeboat have to carry?
Under the IMO's LSA Code, SOLAS survival craft carry a pyrotechnic outfit combining rocket parachute flares, hand flares, and buoyant smoke signals. The rockets provide long-range night signalling, hand flares work at closer range, and the orange smoke signals mark the craft's position for aircraft in daylight. Exact quantities are set by the Code and the vessel's flag-state requirements.
What is the difference between the E048 and E049 signs?
E048 marks the location of survival craft distress signals as a category — typically the locker holding a craft's full pyrotechnic outfit. E049 marks rocket parachute flares specifically, which are also stowed on their own, for example on or near the navigation bridge. Use the sign that matches what is actually inside the stowage.
Do marine flares expire?
Yes. Marine pyrotechnics are manufactured with a limited service life, typically a few years, and the expiry date is printed on each unit. Expired signals may fail, burn irregularly, or be refused at survey, so ships replace them before expiry and dispose of old units through approved channels — never by firing them off, which can trigger a false distress response.
Why are distress signals kept locked if they are emergency equipment?
Because they are explosives-class dangerous goods. Stowage must protect them from heat, damp, and misuse while remaining quickly accessible during a real evacuation. The standard arrangement is a dedicated, clearly marked container or locker near the survival craft — identified with the E048 sign — that crew can open without hunting for keys in an emergency.
Reference details
| Symbol code | E048 |
|---|---|
| Sign family | ISO Emergency Signs |
| Standard reference | ISO 7010:2019 / ISO 3864-1 ISO Online Browsing Platform: E048 |
| Screen color reference | #009933. Screen colors are not a production color specification. |
| Download formats | SVG reference artwork; a 1024 × 1024 pixel PNG conversion on a white canvas. |
| Record date | · How to interpret our dates |
| Page updated |
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Sources and artwork credits
- Artwork source
- Wikimedia Commons file page
- Creator credited by source
- Clemenspool
- License
- CC0
- Source metadata checked
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