Lifeboat Inspection (Inspection and Maintenance of Life-Saving Boats)
Weekly, monthly and the annual thorough examination of lifeboats: where most serious injuries during drills originate, and how to prevent them.
Operational Explanation
Lifeboats are among the SOLAS equipment most prone to serious accidents during drills, often due to release hooks not properly maintained or lowering/recovery manoeuvres carried out without the necessary precautions.
1 January 2024 update: free-fall lifeboats no longer need to undergo a launch test with the ship making way up to 5 knots in calm water, since this condition does not introduce significant additional dynamic loads on the launching appliance; for rescue boats under 700 kg, the launching appliance no longer needs stored mechanical power, provided it can be operated by one person.
2029 outlook: Resolution MSC.535(107) introduces ventilation requirements (≥5 m³/hour per person, operating for at least 24 hours, operable from inside) for totally enclosed lifeboats installed on board from 1 January 2029 onward.
MSC 111 update (May 2026): the Maritime Safety Committee adopted an amendment to the LSA Code governing the use of simulation equipment (wires, chains) for testing and maintaining the release systems of free-fall lifeboats, without having to carry out an actual launch into the water. The new paragraph 4.7.7 requires the test equipment to be designed with a minimum safety factor of 6, calculated on the maximum working load and the ultimate strength of the materials, to account for the shock load generated when the boat comes to an abrupt stop on the skid during the simulated launch. The amendment enters into force on 1 January 2028 and applies to new free-fall lifeboats installed from 1 January 2031.
Regulatory Reference
SOLAS Chapter III, Regulation 20 (Operational readiness, maintenance and inspections) and LSA Code: weekly inspection (engine start, general check), monthly inspection with a detailed checklist, maintenance per the manufacturer's instructions. For newly installed free-fall lifeboats from 1 January 2031, the new paragraph 4.7.7 of the LSA Code (MSC 111 amendment, in force from 1 January 2028) requires a minimum safety factor of 6 for the equipment used in simulated release tests without a launch into the water.
The text of paragraph 11 in force is the one set by res. MSC.404(96) (adopted 19 May 2016, in force from 1 January 2020), not the MSC.216(82) one. It distinguishes four objects, each with its own regime. §20.11.1 — launching appliances (davits and winches): thorough examination at the annual surveys required by regulations I/7 or I/8 and, upon completion of that examination, “a dynamic test of the winch brake at maximum lowering speed” with a load equal to the mass of the craft without persons on board; “at intervals of at least once every five years” the same test is carried out with a proof load equal to 1.1 times the weight of the craft with its full complement of persons and equipment. §20.11.2 — release gear of lifeboats and rescue boats, including fast rescue boat release gear and free-fall lifeboat release systems: thorough examination and operational test at the annual surveys; for on-load release gear, an operational test at 1.1 times whenever it is overhauled, and “such overhauling and operational test shall be carried out at least once every five years”. §20.11.3 — davit-launched liferaft automatic release hooks: examination and test at the annual surveys, a test at 1.1 times whenever overhauled, overhaul and test at least once every five years. §20.11.4 — lifeboats and rescue boats, including fast rescue boats: thorough examination and operational test at the annual surveys.
Since 1 January 2020 it also matters who does the work. §20.11.5 requires thorough examination, testing, overhaul, maintenance and repair to be carried out “in accordance with the Requirements for maintenance, thorough examination, operational testing, overhaul and repair” and with the instructions for onboard maintenance required by regulation III/36; and definition III/3.25, introduced by the same resolution, identifies those Requirements with res. MSC.402(96), which thereby becomes mandatory. The split is sharp: weekly and monthly inspections and routine maintenance may be done “by shipboard personnel under the direction of a senior ship's officer” or by an authorized service provider (§4.1); the annual thorough examination (§4.2) and the five-year thorough examination, overhaul, overload tests and repair (§4.3) are reserved to “certified personnel of either the manufacturer or an authorized service provider”. The company is authorized by the flag Administration (§7.4.1), which may accept providers authorized by other Administrations or by their Recognized Organizations (§7.4.3); the individuals are certified by the manufacturer or the service provider for each make and type of equipment (§8.1), on a certificate valid for three years (§8.3.1). Once the work is complete a “statement confirming that the lifeboat arrangements remain fit for purpose” must be issued, with a copy of the certification and authorization documents (§5.3), and the records stay on board “for the service life of the equipment” (§5.2).
MSC.216(82) remains the source of the historical shift of the hook examination from five-yearly to annual, after the series of fatal accidents during drills, but it is not the text in force: the regime that decides who may sign off that work is MSC.402(96). MSC.404(96) did not extend the scope of the regulation to free-fall lifeboats and davit-launched liferaft hooks: both were already covered, by res. MSC.325(90) and res. MSC.216(82) respectively. What it did do is different: it replaced the reference to non-binding “guidelines developed by the Organization” with a reference to the mandatory Requirements; it set the five-year cap for liferaft hooks, previously absent; and it removed the subjective test “by properly trained personnel familiar with the system”, replacing it with flag authorization and individual certification. And definition III/3.25 does not define a “certified person”: it defines the term Requirements…, and it is that definition which makes MSC.402(96) binding.
Scope of Application
Every ship subject to SOLAS Chapter III fitted with lifeboats, rescue boats, and the associated launching/recovery appliances (davits, winches, on-load/off-load release hooks). Launching appliances have a regime of their own (§20.11.1) and do not follow the hooks’; davit-launched liferaft automatic release hooks have a third one (§20.11.3). Since 1 January 2020 the scope also covers requirements on the provider: annual examination, five-year examination, overhaul, overload tests and repairs must be carried out by certified personnel of the manufacturer or of a service provider authorized by the flag.
Procedure / How to Complete It
- Weekly inspection: start the lifeboat's engine for at least 3 minutes, check the general integrity of the hull and appliances.
- Monthly inspection: check equipment, provisions, water, flares and the condition of the release hooks against a detailed checklist.
- Verify that the release hooks have been maintained per the manufacturer's instructions and have undergone the thorough examination and operational test at every annual survey (§20.11.2.1), and the overhaul with a test at 1.1 times the total mass at intervals not exceeding five years (§20.11.2.2).
- Check the launching appliances separately: thorough examination at the annual survey and, upon its completion, a dynamic test of the winch brake at maximum lowering speed with the craft empty; at least once every five years the same test with a proof load equal to 1.1 times the fully loaded weight (§20.11.1). It is a deadline distinct from the hooks’.
- If davit-launched liferafts are carried, check their automatic release hooks: annual examination and test, overhaul and test at 1.1 times at least once every five years (§20.11.3).
- Before placing the order, verify that the provider is a service provider authorized by the flag Administration and that whoever actually does the work holds a valid individual certificate for that make and type of equipment. On completion, obtain the fitness for purpose statement with a copy of the certification and authorization documents, and keep it on board.
- Conduct the lowering and recovery drill with the crew, strictly following the safety procedure (no one on board during the under-load release test, except where specifically permitted).
- Record every inspection, maintenance activity and drill in the log book/dedicated SMS register.
- For newly installed free-fall lifeboats (from 2031), verify that the equipment used for simulated release tests meets the minimum safety factor of 6 required by the new par. 4.7.7 of the LSA Code.
Practical Example
Example entry: "Monthly inspection of lifeboat no.1, 2026-07-05: engine started normally, equipment complete, release hook checked with no anomalies per manufacturer's checklist. No NC identified."
What Typically Goes Wrong
Common Mistakes Mistake Library
| Mistake | Consequence | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Crew on board during under-load release tests not specifically established as safe | Risk of serious or fatal injury in the event of a hook malfunction | Strictly follow the manufacturer's procedure and the SMS instructions on who may be on board during each phase of the drill |
| Monthly inspection carried out only by visual check, without a structured checklist | Latent defects (hook wear, corrosion) not detected | Always use the detailed checklist required by the SMS and the manufacturer |
| Thorough examination of the hooks treated as a five-yearly item, skipping the check due at every annual survey | Serious PSC deficiency, possible detention | Track two distinct deadlines in the maintenance calendar: the thorough examination with operational test, which falls with every annual survey, and the overhaul with the 1.1× test, which falls due in the fifth year. The first is not an early instalment of the second |
| Five-year examination or overhaul given to a provider not authorized by the flag, or carried out by personnel without a certificate for that make and type | The work does not satisfy SOLAS III/20.11.5: the fitness for purpose statement is worthless, and the deficiency stands even if the equipment is materially sound | Verify the company’s authorization and the individual certificates before the job, and keep on board the copies attached to the statement (MSC.402(96) §5.3) |
What the PSCO Checks
Operational Tips
- Never deviate from the manufacturer's safety procedure during drills, even under time pressure.
- Keep a separate, clearly visible register of deadlines, with three distinct entries: the thorough examination and operational test of the hooks, which fall with the annual survey; the overhaul of the hooks with the 1.1× load test, due in the fifth year; and the examination of the launching appliances with the dynamic winch brake test, annual, which in the fifth year is run with the proof load. Treating the first two as one deadline means skipping four examinations out of five; forgetting the third means never having tested the brake that holds the boat.
- Systematically train new crew members on the safety procedures specific to the hooks installed on board, which vary between manufacturers.
Preparation checklist
Educational checklist. This summary supports learning and preparation only. It does not replace the vessel’s approved procedures, manuals, statutory documents, company SMS, or applicable official requirements. Completing it demonstrates neither compliance nor readiness for an inspection: it shows that a list has been read, not that the ship is in order. Always verify the current documents carried on board.
- Weekly engine/hull inspection carried out and recorded
- Monthly inspection with detailed checklist completed
- Thorough examination and operational test of the hooks carried out at the last annual survey and documented
- Overhaul of the hooks with dynamic test at 1.1× not overdue (maximum interval of 5 years)
- Thorough examination of the launching appliances carried out at the last annual survey, with the dynamic winch brake test on the empty craft
- Brake test with the 1.1× proof load not overdue (maximum interval of 5 years, §20.11.1)
- Davit-launched liferaft automatic release hooks, if fitted: annual examination and five-year overhaul not overdue (§20.11.3)
- Service provider authorization and individual certificates of the personnel checked and valid
- Fitness for purpose statement from the last job held on board, with a copy of the certification and authorization documents
- Manufacturer's safety procedure followed during every drill
- Equipment (provisions, water, flares) checked and complete
- Not yet due — for free-fall lifeboats installed on or after 1 January 2031 only: the safety factor of 6 for the test equipment verified per the new par. 4.7.7 of the LSA Code (MSC 111 amendment, in force from 1 January 2028)
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Last substantive revision of this page: 19 August 2026 · page fingerprint 3b00ba1a0bc1