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
The basket includes throw-overboard or davit-launched liferafts, EPIRBs and search-and-rescue locating devices: radar SART or AIS-SART. Each device is tested according to its type and maker instructions.
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 and SART requirements in Chapter IV. The citations have to be given on the text in force, which since 1 January 2024 is the one set by res. MSC.496(105), a complete replacement of Chapter IV: the EPIRB is today required by regulation IV/7.1.5, and the locating device — radar SART or AIS-SART — by regulation IV/7.1.3. Regulation III/6, which used to govern them for survival craft, now has its paragraphs 1 and 2 marked [Reserved]: those requirements moved into IV/7.
The hydrostatic release unit has a deadline of its own, and it is the commonest paired deficiency. Regulation III/20.9 requires HRUs “other than disposable hydrostatic release units” to be serviced on the same scheme as the liferafts: at intervals not exceeding 12 months, extendable to 17 by the Administration where 12 is impracticable, at a station competent to service them. Disposable HRUs are not serviced: they carry a working life stated by the manufacturer, after which they are replaced — that deadline comes from the manual, not from SOLAS. A liferaft with a valid service and an expired HRU is non-compliant, and the two dates almost never coincide.
What is not in SOLAS. Neither the Convention nor the LSA Code sets a maximum service life for a liferaft, and there is no SOLAS “five-yearly test” of the raft: the interval of 5 years is the gas inflation test of res. A.761(18) as amended, which also requires the necessary additional pressure test yearly after the tenth year of the raft’s life. The “five-yearly” of regulation III/20.11 concerns lifeboats, launching appliances and release gear, not liferafts. The EPIRB requirements are not “Regulation IV/7-1”, which exists in no version of Chapter IV, and the raft’s 12 months are not “typically” but a regulation. Nor is the numbering IV/7.1.6: that was the right numbering until 31 December 2023, superseded by the amendments in force from 2024. The EPIRB self-test during the monthly inspection follows the manufacturer’s instructions, which limit its frequency because every test consumes battery; it is a different thing from the annual operational efficiency test required by SOLAS IV/15.9, carried out on board or at an approved station within the Cargo Ship Safety Radio Certificate window. See the GMDSS page.
Scope of Application
Liferafts, HRUs and suits follow SOLAS chapter III and the equipment plan; EPIRBs and radar/AIS-SARTs follow chapter IV and the applicable Record of Equipment.
Procedure / How to Complete It
- Check servicing of throw-overboard or davit-launched liferafts and their HRUs.
- Check EPIRB and battery under the applicable procedure.
- Identify whether the locating device is radar SART or AIS-SART and perform the maker-prescribed self-test.
- Check suits and equipment against the equipment plan.
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.
What Typically Goes Wrong
Common Mistakes Mistake Library
| Mistake | Consequence | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| 12-month liferaft maintenance interval exceeded | Serious deficiency, possible detention | Schedule the service within the 12 months of Regulation III/20.8.1.1; the extension to 17 months is not an automatic tolerance, the Administration grants it where the service is impracticable |
| 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 |
What the PSCO Checks
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.
Preparation checklist
- Liferafts and HRUs in date
- EPIRB and battery checked
- Radar SART/AIS-SART type identified
- Maker-prescribed self-test completed
- Suits checked against equipment plan
FAQ
Related Topics
Last substantive revision of this page: 19 August 2026 · page fingerprint ce4f234d1fc6