The five-yearly overhaul and 1.1 load tests

What MSC.402(96) section 6.3 requires

Who: certified personnel of the manufacturer or an authorised service provider (4.3). The same applies to any repair and any overload test, whenever done.

How the 1.1 rule developed

• 1998: SOLAS III/20.11 required a thorough examination of launching appliances at intervals not exceeding 5 years and a winch brake dynamic test, plus lifeboat on-load release gear examined at each annual survey and tested at 1.1 times the fully loaded boat whenever overhauled, at least every 5 years.
• 2006 (MSC.152(78)): annual thorough examinations of launching appliances; the five-yearly brake test at “1.1 times the maximum working load of the winch”.
• 2008 (MSC.216(82)): the five-yearly brake test load became 1.1 times the weight of the craft with its full complement of persons and equipment; rescue boat on-load release gear and free-fall lifeboat release systems were brought in, and davit-launched liferaft automatic release hooks were added (annual examination, 1.1 test whenever overhauled, at least every 5 years).
• 2020 (MSC.404(96)): the same loads, now carried out under MSC.402(96) by authorised providers; fast rescue boat release gear named explicitly, a choice of test for free-fall release systems (launch, or test without launching), and an annual thorough examination of the boats themselves.

Working out the test load

The test load is based on the boat’s documented weights, not guesses. Take from the boat’s approval documents and the manufacturer’s data:

• the mass of the boat with its equipment (check it against a recent weighing if possible, see below), and
• the number of persons it is approved for, times the person mass used in its approval.

The LSA Code uses 75 kg per person for lifeboats on passenger ships and 82.5 kg for lifeboats on cargo ships, as amended by MSC.272(85) from 1 July 2010; older boats were approved on 75 kg. Use the figure on the boat’s certificate.

Worked example (illustrative figures only): a cargo ship lifeboat with equipment weighs 3,600 kg and is approved for 40 persons at 82.5 kg.

• Full complement mass: 40 × 82.5 = 3,300 kg
• Fully loaded mass: 3,600 + 3,300 = 6,900 kg
• Test load: 1.1 × 6,900 = 7,590 kg
• Weight to add to the boat: 7,590 − 3,600 = 3,990 kg of test weights or water bags

A safe sequence (based on UK flag guidance)

The UK’s MGN 560 Amendment 2 sets out a method that is a good model for any flag:

1. Plan in advance and agree the procedure between the officer in charge, the service provider and the witnessing surveyor. Inspect the boat, launching appliance and components on the day.
2. Weigh the boat. Confirm it still weighs what was recorded and no more than its certified weight. Water soaking into buoyancy foam is a common cause of weight growth; any growth must be investigated.
3. Load at the embarkation position, bowsing gear arranged to release from the ship, tricing pennants removed, weights distributed to 1.1 times the fully loaded weight. Load so that nobody enters the boat once 70% of the load is in. If that cannot be done, take the weight on a crane (at least 2.2 times the loaded weight) and spreader bar, not on the falls.
4. Dynamic test. With the area under the boat clear, lower with the brake fully lifted so the boat reaches maximum speed on the centrifugal brake, then apply the brake suddenly. The boat must hold at least 1 m above the water. Repeat if space allows.
5. On-load release test. Lower until the keel just touches the water with the weight still on the falls. Never drop the boat from above the water. Personnel enter from a tender, wearing helmets and lifejackets, seated, and operate the release to show both hooks release together under load.
6. Recover safely. Remove the weights afloat, never lift the loaded boat with the davits, reset the hooks and check them just clear of the water before full recovery, with nobody in the boat until the hooks have been examined by a competent person.
7. Inspect after the test. Examine the boat, hooks, davit, winch and foundations for test damage; non-destructive examination is strongly recommended. Record the results on a test certificate signed by the competent person and the witness.

Alternatives when a full dynamic test cannot be done

The UK still recommends the 110% dynamic test of the whole system. Where that is impracticable and the lead surveyor agrees, it accepts testing in parts: the hook release at 110% static load with a hydraulic ram (not needed for single hook systems with a painter), the boat statically tested ashore at the peak load of a 110% dynamic test, and the davit, falls and winch tested dynamically at 110% with weights, a spreader bar and a load cell. Static overload of the boat must never exceed 200% of its in-service fully loaded weight.