Italy - France: Offshore First Aid Kit - What is your experience

[Skipper Felice]

There is some legal requirements for yachts in France and Italy to carry a certain type of First Aid Kit.
For me, it is important to have a good medical case on board - but not necessarily after “TABELLA D”
In Italy it is "Tabella D" with a good amount of various medical aids and instruments.
Example: https://www.svb24.com/en/first-aid-kit-tabella-d-italy-offshore.html

- For me it is not clear if this is mandatory also for a yacht with registration San Marino, UK or an other flag sailing in the med ?
- Check that the authorities / coast guard / fine in Italy ?
- What is your experience with the French or Italian first aid kit regulation ?

 

[Skipper Felice]

I am quite surprised that there is no answer? There is a legal (ship code) requirement that you carry a certain first aid kit (big list of items) on board within French and Italian Coastline. I am not informed that this is for Italian or French flag only - or is it for ALL pleasure craft within this area?

 

[DAW]

Your question relates to what regulations apply to a foreign flagged vessel when in the coastal waters of another country. This is a topic that comes up regularly on this forum, usually in connection with the questions about licence requirements. In this case the answer is the same ... A vessel in the coastal waters of a state other than its own flag state and not on "innocent passage" through those waters is subject to the national regulations of the coastal state regardless of the flag state of the vessel. "Innocent passage" is an uninterrupted voyage into and out of coastal waters. If you are cruising in an area, stop for any length of time, drop anchor, visit a port or marina (or any other inland waterway) or otherwise delay your transit, you are not on innocent passage.

The French regulations for obligatory safety equipment on pleasure boats <24m are set out in something called Division 240. This distinguishes between "côtier" (within 6km), "semi-hauturier" `(6-60km) and "hauturier" (+60km). A first aid kit is mandatory for semi-hauturier and above. For the contents, you can look at the detailed regulations or the various guidance notes issued by the government which you can find with a Google search. The requirements are quite basic. Most marine stores sell complete kits which meet all of the requirements. I'm sure Italy has similar/equivalent regulations.

 

[Skipper Felice]

The French regulations for obligatory safety equipment on pleasure boats <24m are set out in something called Division 240. This distinguishes between "côtier" (within 6km), "semi-hauturier" `(6-60km) and "hauturier" (+60km). A first aid kit is mandatory for semi-hauturier and above. For the contents, you can look at the detailed regulations or the various guidance notes issued by the government which you can find with a Google search. The requirements are quite basic. Most marine stores sell complete kits which meet all of the requirements. I'm sure Italy has similar/equivalent regulations.

I am quite familliar with international maritime law - thank you.
If you read my post nr.1 I was asking:

- Check that the authorities / coast guard / fine in Italy ?
- What is your experience with the French or Italian first aid kit regulation ?

In my post I gave you the regulatory examples.
For France it is this: https://www.svb24.com/en/first-aid-kit-france-offshore-6-nm-from-the-coast.html
A very simple basic first aid kit ...

For Italy it is this: https://www.svb24.com/en/first-aid-kit-tabella-d-italy-offshore.html
Quite a lot of medical material as a first responder medical kit ....

And I guess, Spain and Croatia and Greece have also some own regulation.
Reading your awnser means I should have 2 or 3 or more kits for each country I travel around the Med... This makes no sense and I guess all the people there around have ONE (big or small) medical kit on board.

And is this checked by the Coast Guard?

 

[jfm]

And you’re surprised no-one replies?

DAW gave you a perfect answer to your Q1 and you respond so bluntly.

Your Q2 is unintelligible.

No-one replied to Q3 because - I guess - no one has had a fine or penalty.

 

[Clash]

And DAW wasn't suggesting a bunch of different kits. Clearly you can check each country's requirements and assemble a kit that encompasses them all. If that's necessary. There's a possibility they will all be the same.

 

[DAW]

I'm a little confused ... Your first question was about maritime law and the extent to which coastal state regulations are applicable to foreign flagged vessels.

I don't think anyone is suggesting you should buy multiple first aid kits, but it should be clear that if you intend to cruise in multiple jurisdictions then whatever you do choose to carry needs to comply with the requirements of each.

As to whether this is enforced ... like many of the maritime regulations which apply to pleasure vessels, the likelihood of routine enforcement seems very low. However, if something goes wrong, the authorities become involved, and you don't have the obligatory equipment on board (or have it, but don't know how to use it) then I guess the situation could be quite different.

For example, the link you provided suggests that the rules in Italy require that you carry a CPR mask (reanimator) and an emergency tourniquet for both coastal and offshore sailing. If someone had a heart attack and died onboard, or succumbed to loss of blood from a serious injury, I wouldn't want to explain to an Italian prosecutor handling the inquest why you didn't have the necessary item, or had one but didn't know how to use it.

 

[ylop]

For example, the link you provided suggests that the rules in Italy require that you carry a CPR mask (reanimator) and an emergency tourniquet for both coastal and offshore sailing. If someone had a heart attack and died onboard, or succumbed to loss of blood from a serious injury, I wouldn't want to explain to an Italian prosecutor handling the inquest why you didn't have the necessary item, or had one but didn't know how to use it.

The kit appears to contain some stuff you wouldn’t ordinarily find in basic first aid kits: a stethoscope, a blood pressure monitor and bag and mask style resuscitators, including in child sizes. Assuming those are actually required by the rules - are your required to be trained in their use? The link doesn’t seem to mention it but other sources seem to suggest a digital thermometer and pulse oximeter are required too.

I guess what the OP may have been trying to ask, but perhaps lost in translation, is something like “is there a definitive list of all the components required for each country bordering the med’s first aid kits contents” or “does anyone supply an ‘all EU’” kit that satisfies everyone’s needs. Surprisingly the RYA doesn’t seem to cover it on its Italy info. I knew some countries expected a first aid kit but didn’t realise that anyone was asking for stuff beyond that found in a Solas Cat C kit.

 

[prinex]

Being based in Loano Italy, this is the equipment list valid since Oct 2024:

First the "within 12 miles" one:

On-board equipment within 12 miles:​

Below is the list of Mandatory On-Board Equipment for navigation within 12 miles.
List updated to the New Implementation Regulation of the Nautical Code (DECREE 17 September 2024 in force from 21 October 2024)

• Life raft within 12 miles "coastal" as per current regulations with capacity equal to all people on board (*some exceptions applicable >> see bottom of page)
• 150N life jackets (one for each person on board)
• Self-activating light (one for each life jacket)
  “(mandatory from 21/10/2025)”
• Lifebuoy with regulation rope
• 1 Light buoy for life ring
• Distress signal kit within 50 miles consisting of:
  2 Smoke buoys + 2 Red light hand flares + 2 Parachute flares
• Regulation lights
  NB: if you are only sailing during the day, a 360° torch is sufficient
• Sound signalling devices (trumpet - whistle)
  Note : vessels longer than 12.00 m must be equipped with a whistle and bell (the bell may be replaced by a portable sound device (trumpet).
• Compass and related deviation tables
  NB: the tables are mandatory only for boats but not for vessels
  The magnetic compass can be replaced by the electronic compass
• Clock
• Vhf
  NB: together with the device, the RTF License and the RTF Certificate
  of the operator
• Table of day and night visual signals (Colreg)
  “(mandatory from 21/10/2025)”
• Depth Sounder or Manual Sounder . “(mandatory from 21/10/2025)”
• Black anchor balloon (only for units > 7 m)
• 1 Safety harness + umbilical safety line (only for sailing units)
  “(mandatory starting from 21/10/2025)”
  NB: The safety harness is also valid if integrated into the self-inflating life jackets
• Pump or other draining device;
• Fire extinguishers
  Boats: must have only one fire extinguisher on board, regardless of the engine power
  . Vessels: the number of fire extinguishers and their extinguishing capacity are reported in Annex V to the regulation of the nautical code.
• Sailing vessels must have on board a black signal cone which must be shown with the top facing down when proceeding simultaneously under sail and under motor.
  
  and this is if you want to go to Corsica for example:
  
  
  
• 
  
• 
  
• • 
    Life raft over 12 miles "oceanic" as per current regulations (ISO 9650 with capacity equal to all people on board)
  • 150N life jackets (one for each person on board)
  • Self-activating light (one for each life jacket)
    “(mandatory from 21/10/2025)”
  • Lifebuoy with regulation rope
  • Light buoy for life ring
  • Unlimited emergency signal kit consisting of:
    2 Smoke bombs + 3 Red light hand flares + 3 Parachute flares
  • Regulation lights (Colreg)
    NB: if you are only sailing during the day, a 360° torch is sufficient
  • Sound signalling devices (trumpet - whistle)
    Note : vessels longer than 12.00 m must be equipped with a whistle and bell (the bell may be replaced by a portable sound device (trumpet).
  • Compass and related deviation tables
    NB: the tables are mandatory only for boats but not for vessels
    The magnetic compass can be replaced by the electronic compass
  • Vhf
    NB: together with the device, the RTF License and the RTF Certificate
    of the operator
  • EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon).
    May be replaced by Satellite Phone with Distress Call Button
  • 1 Clock , 1 Barometer , 1 Binoculars
  • Nautical charts of the area in which navigation is being carried out and Charting instruments
    Note: Nautical charts can be replaced by electronic ones but the Ministerial Decree 10.7.2000 establishes that an auxiliary chart system must be present on board to deal with cases of failure of the main system. This secondary system can be made up of another system of the same class or of a portfolio of nautical charts at a scale of 1:250,000 or greater in relation to the navigation to be undertaken.
  • Charting tools
  • First Aid Kit (Table D - Ministry of Health Decree no. 279 of 1988);
  • GPS
  • Radar reflector
  • Table of day and night visual signals (Colreg)
    “(mandatory from 21/10/2025)”
  • Depth Sounder or Manual Sounder “(mandatory from 21/10/2025)”
  • Black anchor balloon (only for units > 7 m)
  • 2 Safety harness + umbilical safety line (only for sailing units)
    “(mandatory starting from 21/10/2025)”
    NB: The safety harness is also valid if integrated into the self-inflating life jackets
  • Pump or other draining device
  • Fire extinguishers
    The number of fire extinguishers and their extinguishing capacity are reported in Annex V to the nautical code regulations.
  • Sailing vessels must have on board a conical signal which must be shown with the vertex facing downwards when proceeding simultaneously under sail and under motor.
  
  At least when I was in Sanremo with the boat, the Coast Guard will periodically check the vessels and make sure everything is fine. In the local shops (at the marina) there is usually some ready-made kits which contains all what the Coast Guard wants to see (except life-raft etc)

 

[petem]

I am quite familliar with international maritime law - thank you.

How rude.

 

[Skipper Felice]

Ok - I see your points. To make it clear: I wanted to talk or get your view of the FIRST AID KITS - that have several different regulations.
It is not talking about all SOLAS and country safety equipment that is regulated by maritime codes.
But thanks to @prinex for this excellent list of the actual Italian situation.

As I own some good medical education and a certificate as emergency medical responder I carry an own selection of First Aid Case on board. My medical case has about 70% of all the items of an emergency MD: some more instruments as in this French and Italian regulations but not all of the things by the maritime code listings.

And I guess, most of you have some kind of a good First Aid Kit - but not always the "official" version for all the countries in the Med.

 

[MapisM]

For example, the link you provided suggests that the rules in Italy require that you carry a CPR mask (reanimator) and an emergency tourniquet for both coastal and offshore sailing. If someone had a heart attack and died onboard, or succumbed to loss of blood from a serious injury, I wouldn't want to explain to an Italian prosecutor handling the inquest why you didn't have the necessary item, or had one but didn't know how to use it.

DAW, you are correct to infer what you say from the link posted by SF. But as it happens, that SVB webpage is wrong - or better said, economic with the truth.
In fact, while that first aid kit, offshore approved, can indeed be used also for coastal sailing (why shouldn't it?!?), it is NOT mandatory for the latter.
IT rules are actually more tricky than just "offshore vs. coastal", because they define 8 categories (no less !), from internal waters to unlimited, with segments of distance from the coast within 300m, 1Nm, 3Nm, 6Nm, 12Nm and 50Nm in between.
Now, don't ask me why, but as a matter of fact, that first aid kit is prescribed only when cruising at more than 12Nm from the coast.

As an aside, this imply that this rule is hardly enforceable/controllable in practice, since that's outside territorial waters.
That said, aside from your drastic (albeit still possible!) criminal prosecution scenario, there's another reason why I wouldn't feel comfortable in ignoring the rules whenever it's unlikely to be caught with your pants down - which is what SF seems interested in.
And that is the fact that an insurance company could use that "non-compliance" situation to reject coverage in the event of an accident, regardless of the distance from the coast.
But... Hey-ho! Your boat, your choice, SF!

 

[MapisM]

First the "within 12 miles" one...

Just to expand a bit on my previous post (which i wrote before seeing yours), it is true that most suppliers are selling "within 12Nm" and "above 12Nm" kits, because that's where most of the differences are.
But the actual table with the prescribed safety equipment is the following (sorry, I don't know if there's any version translated in EN):
https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/do...dazionale=24G00152&art.num=1&art.tiposerie=SG

So, just as an example, if your type of coastal cruising is within 300m from the coast, there are no prescribed safety equipment at all. None, zilch.
And you need little more than nothing also for the next segments (1Nm, 3Nm, 6Nm - with minor differences between them).
Now, I appreciate that 300m is very restrictive, but I believe that many boaters, myself included, typically stay within a few Nm from the coast.
And for them, there's no need to buy ANY kit that dealers obviously try to sell, regardless of whether actually mandatory or not.

 

[Skipper Felice]

DAW, you are correct to infer what you say from the link posted by SF. But as it happens, that SVB webpage is wrong - or better said, economic with the truth.
In fact, while that first aid kit, offshore approved, can indeed be used also for coastal sailing (why shouldn't it?!?), it is NOT mandatory for the latter.
IT rules are actually more tricky than just "offshore vs. coastal", because they define 8 categories (no less !), from internal waters to unlimited, with segments of distance from the coast within 300m, 1Nm, 3Nm, 6Nm, 12Nm and 50Nm in between.
Now, don't ask me why, but as a matter of fact, that first aid kit is prescribed only when cruising at more than 12Nm from the coast.

As an aside, this imply that this rule is hardly enforceable/controllable in practice, since that's outside territorial waters.
That said, aside from your drastic (albeit still possible!) criminal prosecution scenario, there's another reason why I wouldn't feel comfortable in ignoring the rules whenever it's unlikely to be caught with your pants down - which is what SF seems interested in.
And that is the fact that an insurance company could use that "non-compliance" situation to reject coverage in the event of an accident, regardless of the distance from the coast.
But... Hey-ho! Your boat, your choice, SF!

Thank you - a lot of good and valuable information !!!

 

[Skipper Felice]

I have to add: I am not only interested in the territorial zone - 12 miles: My focus is the WHOLE Tyrrenian Sea - including Sardegnia - Corse - the Balearics - Spain - France - Italy. And of course - I take care of all people on board and I try to provide the best medical assistance I can do in an emergency.
The problem seems this crazy mess and chaos with all the reguations / rules by all the different countries - regulations.

 

[benjenbav]

Most first aid kits I have come across consist of bandages - various types - plus some peripherals.

And first aid is somewhat limited to: staunching bleeding, CPR and getting the victim into the care of someone who actually knows what they are doing - which last item can be tricky at sea.

That said, my suggestions would be to comply with relevant laws for the kit itself and get some training as to how to use it.

Plus:

For CPR buy a box of one-way mouthpieces. These not only reduce the risk of infection but, if the CPR works, the patient will otherwise be sick into your mouth following the rescue breaths - which is hardly ever pleasant.

Carry a defibrillator. Old school models tended to do more harm than good in inexperienced hands, often stopping beating hearts but modern ones won’t operate if there is a heartbeat and so can be operated by most anyone.

Get comms sorted so that you can be confident of getting hold of a doctor.

Ask guests if they’ve got all relevant meds before setting off. And whether, if they collapse, there is anything that might need to be administered.

 

[Alicatt]

In Belgium we have to carry a first aid kit but the rules don't specify what is in the kit, just that we have one, along with a 2kg fire extinguisher no more that 1m from the helm, rules about that changed last year from a 1kg to a 2kg and I got caught out by that as I had only a 1kg one at the helm.

 

[westernman]

For France I would buy a first aid kit from the chandlers and not use it and keep a second kit of useful stuff which we often need to avoid breaking the seal on the "official" first aid kit.
If you have an official first aid kit from a chandlers of your flag state, I doubt very much you will get any hassle from any inspection anywhere.
I.e. if you sail across borders I see no need for multiple first aid kits.

 

[ylop]

Most first aid kits I have come across consist of bandages - various types - plus some peripherals.

Many cheap first aid kits in the U.K. fall into that camp, often with the cheapest of bandages, and the least sticky plasters too! Boat first aid kits should probably really include meds - which most first aid kits shy away from, both for sea sickness and because even coastal sailing it could be some time waiting for help.

This Italian kit has a number of things for monitoring a patients condition, BP, SpO2, stethoscope in the right hands those will get good advice via radio and help determine the evacuation options.

And first aid is somewhat limited to: staunching bleeding, CPR and getting the victim into the care of someone who actually knows what they are doing - which last item can be tricky at sea.

Actually life saving stuff perhaps, but there’s plenty of stuff that is about stabilising an injury whilst journeying to help - or even letting you continue on. Burns, fractures, minor cuts, twists and sprains are all things that a well stocked first aid kit can make more bearable for a 4 hour trip to shore or the cheapest bag of bandages will be totally useless for.

That said, my suggestions would be to comply with relevant laws for the kit itself and get some training as to how to use it.

The last point is probably the most important in terms of actually doing something useful but seems to be irrelevant for compliance.

Plus:

For CPR buy a box of one-way mouthpieces.

The Italian kit includes a bag and mask type resus device. If trained to use one it is definitely preferably to a one way mouth piece. If you need a “box of mouth pieces” you must be pretty unlucky. I’ve had some sort of faceshield/mask close at hand for 30+ yrs and Ive never actually had to use it in anger.

Carry a defibrillator.

I suppose compared to other lifesaving equipment costs it’s not totally crazy but you don’t get much change from £1000 and the pads etc will need periodic replacement.

Do RNLI ALBs carry them routinely?

 

[requiem]

• Compass and related deviation tables
  NB: the tables are mandatory only for boats but not for vessels
  The magnetic compass can be replaced by the electronic compass

I love when I countries decide that some vessels don't count as vessels under the rules. I'm curious what counts as a boat vs a vessel here?

At least when I was in Sanremo with the boat, the Coast Guard will periodically check the vessels and make sure everything is fine. In the local shops (at the marina) there is usually some ready-made kits which contains all what the Coast Guard wants to see (except life-raft etc)

I would have expected comity to apply, at least until something went wrong. I assume such checks also included foreign-flagged vessels? I'm curious if their scrutiny of a foreign first aid kit would be coloured by the perceived adequacy of it.