Life-Saving Appliances: Liferafts, EPIRB and SART
Beyond lifeboats, a ship's real survival basket depends on equipment that is rarely checked and taken for granted to work: liferafts, EPIRBs and SARTs.
Operational Explanation
In addition to lifeboats (covered in the dedicated Lifeboat Inspection topic), the Life-Saving Appliances (LSA) Code governs a broader set of survival equipment: liferafts (free-fall or davit-launched), the EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) for satellite location in the event of abandoning ship, the SART (Search and Rescue Transponder) for radar location by rescue craft, and immersion suits for survival in cold water.
Every liferaft requires a periodic service at an approved service station, typically every 12 months (extendable under certain conditions), which verifies the raft's integrity, the operation of the inflation system, and the completeness of the survival kit. The EPIRB requires periodic functional tests and battery replacement by the indicated expiry date; the SART requires periodic verification of its radar response.
Regulatory Reference
SOLAS Chapter III and the LSA Code (International Life-Saving Appliance Code): equipment requirements, periodic servicing of liferafts at approved service stations, EPIRB requirements (Regulation IV/7-1) and SART (Regulation III/6).
Scope of Application
Every ship subject to SOLAS Chapter III, for individual and collective life-saving equipment other than lifeboats.
Procedure / How to Complete It
- Verify the periodic service expiry date of every liferaft on board.
- Schedule sending the liferaft to the approved service station with adequate lead time before expiry.
- Verify the periodic functional test and battery expiry of the EPIRB.
- Verify the SART's radar response per the required periodic test procedure.
- Verify that immersion suits are intact, in sufficient number for the crew, and readily accessible.
Practical Example
Example verification: during the monthly inspection of safety equipment, the responsible officer checks the expiry dates of all liferafts, tests the EPIRB per the self-test procedure, and visually verifies the integrity of the immersion suits, scheduling replacement or servicing of anything nearing expiry.
Real Cases
Common Mistakes Mistake Library
| Mistake | Consequence | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Liferaft periodic service scheduled at the last minute, risking expiry during the voyage | Liferaft formally non-compliant, serious PSC deficiency | Schedule the service well in advance, integrating it into the general maintenance calendar |
| EPIRB battery replaced only after expiry, instead of in advance | Risk of malfunction at the critical moment of a real emergency | Replace the EPIRB battery with adequate lead time before the indicated expiry date |
| Immersion suits checked only visually, without verifying actual seal and integrity | A suit apparently intact but not actually watertight in real use | Include a more thorough integrity check of the suits in periodic checks, not just a visual one |
PSC Observations
Operational Tips
- Schedule the liferaft service well in advance, don't leave it to managing deadlines at the last minute.
- Replace the EPIRB battery with adequate lead time before the indicated expiry, not right at expiry.
- Check the integrity of immersion suits more thoroughly than a simple visual inspection.
Checklist
- Service expiry dates of every liferaft verified and scheduled
- EPIRB tested periodically per the self-test procedure
- EPIRB battery verified and replaced with lead time before expiry
- SART verified for correct radar response
- Immersion suits verified for integrity and sufficient in number for the crew