Shipping flares also known as marine flares fall under the marine safety category and they have been used since the down of shipping to send distress signals high in to the sky to try and alert passing vessels concerning impending danger a vessel may be facing. They are also used to send warning signal to vessels to avoid them getting beached in shallow waters or reefs. The shipping flare has evolved from simple rocket designs used the early half of the 20^th century to sophisticated designs used on modern ships in the 21^st century.

Modern technology has not been able to ride marine vessels of the shipping flare or marine flares as many call them; the flare has been stored ships as a distress signal that can be fire when a vessel is in problem improving the chance of alerting any other marine vessel or air plane that may be passing nearby. For those people who have watched the famous Holly Wood blockbuster “titanic” must have see the shipping flares that were being fired in to the night sky with the hope of signaling a nearby or passing vessel that could rescue the passengers on board.

Shipping flares are specially made since they need to withstand harsh weather condition without failing, to be able to do this ballistic engineers nee to develop special flares that will work and burn even when submerges under water. This may sound unreal but they have managed to develop materials that are able to burned or shine light under water. Conventional fireworks or rockets do not work once wet but due to the aquatic condition the ships work in it is only sensible that the flares be able to withstand watery conditions and still work or ignite to send the distress signal in case of rain or rough seas.

The design of shipping flares has changed with times from rocket shaped flares used on the titanic to modern pistol shot rounds they are capable of attaining more altitude and burn a brighter flame thus signaling more effectively. Many skeptics argue that shipping flares are signaling technique that are out dated and newer methods should be developed to fire flares further in to the night sky, but the fact remains that modern technology is often left on board the vessel if it is sinking and the survivors are usually left with basic tools that can be used when in a life raft or stuck on a isolated island. The flare is responsible for locating hundreds of life raft that are floating on the open ocean at night when rescue vessels cannot locate them.

The basic design of shipping flares has remained

relatively the same since shipping personnel have opted that they are better when kept small since they are easy to handle when vacating a sinking ship, with bulky stuff being avoided since it hinders rescues as well as endangers the rescue vessels or survival raft before rescue. To avoid this kind of added risk to the survivors it is best to keep the shipping flare manageable in size since it plays a major role during the rescue effort of any survivors.