Start hereRules checked 20 October 2026
Lifeboats are one of the few items on a ship that a port State control officer can test in front of the crew: ask for a boat to be lowered, an engine started, a drill run. And they are among the items most often found wanting. In 2025, member Authorities of the Tokyo MOU carried out 35,546 inspections and recorded 11,818 life-saving appliance deficiencies, 13% of everything they found. Lifeboats were the third most frequent reason for detention, with 152 detainable deficiencies, up from 136 the year before.
Three kinds of inspector look at the same lifeboat with different questions. The flag decides who may service it. The class society, surveying on the flag’s behalf, checks that it was serviced and works. The port State officer checks that it would work today, with this crew. This lesson shows what each of them looks for.
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In this lesson
- Port State control walk-round: bulk carrier, starboard lifeboat
- In plain words
- In detail
- What the rules say
- Flag and class notes
- Key numbers
- What inspectors find
- Quiz: 6 questions
Try it
Port State control walk-round: bulk carrier, starboard lifeboat
In plain words
The flag (the country where the ship is registered) writes the national rules. For lifeboats its biggest job is deciding which service companies may do the annual and five-yearly work, and publishing that list. Most flags also issue circulars that fill gaps in the IMO rules, such as whether a surveyor must witness the five-yearly test, or when a short postponement may be granted.
The class society, acting as the flag’s recognised organisation, does the statutory surveys for the Safety Equipment Certificate. Each year the surveyor looks at the boats, lowers them, starts the engines and checks the paperwork: who did the annual examination, the winch brake test, the falls renewal, the hook documents, and the drill records.
Port State control is the inspection by the country the ship visits. The officer starts with the certificates and a general look. If they see signs of neglect, or the crew seems unfamiliar with the equipment, they can look deeper, ask for a lifeboat to be lowered and an engine started, or ask for an abandon ship drill. Serious failures can lead to detention until fixed.
Prepare for all three the same way: keep the equipment working, keep the records complete and honest, and make sure the crew assigned to each boat knows how to use it.
In detail
What the flag decides
| Topic | Examples |
|---|---|
| Who may service | Panama publishes its authorised providers in MMC-258 with expiry dates; Liberia authorises providers under Marine Notice SAF-019 and lets OEMs work on their own makes; the Bahamas issues a Bahamas Approved Service Provider certificate; Denmark accepts providers authorised by other SOLAS Administrations or EU-recognised organisations |
| Witnessing tests | Liberia requires a class surveyor at the five-yearly tests; the UK requires an MCA surveyor or MCA-appointed person to witness them |
| Postponements | The Bahamas may consider up to 3 months for the five-yearly service in exceptional cases; Liberia requires a dispensation to stretch free-fall launches to 12 months |
| Local practice | Liberia bans bulldog grips on falls; the Bahamas accepts some non-rotation-resistant falls; the UK limits static overload tests to 200% |
Before booking a service in a new port, check the flag’s current list. Authorisations expire, and a provider valid for one flag may not be for another.
What the class surveyor checks at the annual survey
The IMO survey guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC, 2025 edition, resolution A.1207(34)) list the items for the annual survey of a cargo ship’s safety equipment. For lifeboats and rescue boats they include:
- (EA) 1.2.1.16: the factual statement of the one-time hook overhaul examination, or the statement of acceptance of a replacement release system
- (EA) 1.2.1.17: log book entries for the last full muster and drills, the examination of lifeboat equipment, and when each lifeboat was last swung out and lowered into the water
- (EA) 1.2.2.20: each survival craft and its equipment, the on-load release mechanism and hydrostatic lock, and that hand flares are in date
- (EA) 1.2.2.22: that falls have been periodically inspected and renewed as necessary in the past five years
- (EA) 1.2.2.23: the embarkation arrangements and launching appliances, with each lifeboat lowered to the embarkation position and, if practicable, one lowered to the water
- (EA) 1.2.2.24: that the thorough examination of launching appliances, the winch brake dynamic test, release gear servicing and the boats’ thorough examination were done to MSC.402(96)
- (EA) 1.2.2.25 and 1.2.2.27: each rescue boat and its equipment, inflatable rescue boats fully inflated, and the rescue boat’s embarkation and recovery arrangements, lowered and recovered if practicable
- (EA) 1.2.2.28: that the engines of each lifeboat and rescue boat start and run ahead and astern
How port State control looks at lifeboats
The IMO Procedures for port State control, 2023 (resolution A.1185(33)) guide the officer in three places:
- Appendix 6, section 5 (life-saving appliances): the officer looks for signs of disuse of, obstructions to or defects in launching and recovery equipment, “which may include paint accumulation, seizing of pivot points, absence of greasing”, the condition of blocks and falls, and of the hook attachment to the hull. Such signs justify a detailed inspection, which may include lowering survival craft.
- Appendix 2, section 5 (detainable deficiencies): under SOLAS, the list includes “absence, failure, insufficient capacity or serious deterioration of personal life-saving appliances, survival craft and launching and recovery arrangements”.
- Appendix 7, section 2.6 (abandon ship drills): after consulting the master, the officer may require an abandon ship drill for one or more survival craft, including the rescue boat if possible. The officer checks that the crew members in charge know their craft. The number of persons in a lifeboat during launching is at the master’s discretion. Each survival craft should be ready so that two crew can prepare it for embarking and launching in less than five minutes.
Preparing the ship
- Records in one place: weekly and monthly checklists (signed and countersigned), annual and five-yearly statements with their attached certificates and authorisations, falls renewal dates, hook factual statement or statement of acceptance, drill log entries, and the manufacturer’s manuals.
- Equipment: davits greased and free, sheaves turning, falls lubricated and in date, hooks reset with indicators correct, engines starting, batteries charged, equipment and pyrotechnics complete and in date, inflatable rescue boats fully inflated.
- People: each boat’s coxswain and second-in-command can explain the release gear and run the launch; the crew can prepare a boat in under five minutes.
What the rules say
- The PSC procedures (resolution A.1185(33), Appendix 6, paragraph 5.1) tell the officer to look for signs of disuse of, obstructions to or defects with survival craft launching and recovery equipment, such as paint accumulation, seized pivot points, absence of greasing, and the condition of blocks, falls and hook attachment.2
- The PSC detention guidelines (Appendix 2, section 5) list “absence, failure, insufficient capacity or serious deterioration” of survival craft and launching and recovery arrangements among detainable deficiencies under SOLAS.3
- The PSC procedures (Appendix 7, paragraph 2.6.1) allow the officer, after consulting the master, to require an abandon ship drill for one or more survival craft, including the rescue boat if possible.5
- The PSC procedures (Appendix 7, paragraph 2.6.4) leave the number of persons inside the lifeboat during launching to the master’s discretion, noting SOLAS does not require persons in the boat during lowering and recovery.5
- The PSC procedures (Appendix 7, paragraph 2.6.5) say each survival craft should be stowed so that two crew members can prepare it for embarking and launching in less than five minutes.5
- The HSSC survey guidelines (resolution A.1207(34), paragraph (EA) 1.2.2.24) require the annual survey to check that the thorough examination, dynamic winch brake test and release gear servicing were carried out to MSC.402(96).7
- The HSSC survey guidelines (paragraph (EA) 1.2.2.22) require the surveyor to check that falls have been periodically inspected and renewed as necessary in the past five years.7
- MSC.402(96) paragraph 7.2 requires each Administration to make information on its authorised service providers available, and paragraph 7.4.2 requires it to withdraw the authorisation of providers that do not comply.4
- SOLAS regulation III/19.3.4.3 requires each lifeboat to be launched and manoeuvred by its assigned operating crew at least once every three months.6
Flag and class notes
- Panama (MMC-258 V.04, May 2026) lists its authorised providers with their approval expiry dates, reviews the list monthly and may delete providers whose renewals are overdue.8
- Liberia (Marine Notice SAF-005) may authorise a third-party provider case by case where no manufacturer-authorised provider is available in the port, on evidence of previous servicing of that equipment.9
- Bahamas (Marine Notice 82) requires its recognised organisations, at ISM audits, to verify that manufacturer’s instructions, company maintenance procedures, drill records and maintenance records with details of the competent persons are on board, and to report failures as ISM non-conformities.10
- Class: ask your class society for its own checklist for the Safety Equipment survey; it follows the HSSC guidelines and adds the flag’s instructions.
Key numbers
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| Tokyo MOU inspections, 2025 | 35,5461 |
| Life-saving appliance deficiencies, Tokyo MOU 2025 | 11,818 (13.11% of all deficiencies)1 |
| Detainable lifeboat deficiencies, Tokyo MOU 2023 / 2024 / 2025 | 166 / 136 / 1521 |
| Rank of lifeboats among detainable items, Tokyo MOU 2025 | 3rd1 |
| Time for two crew to prepare a survival craft for launching | Less than 5 minutes5 |
| Falls renewal checked at annual survey | Within the past 5 years7 |
What inspectors find
- Lifeboats as a detention item. Lifeboats ranked third among detainable deficiencies in the Tokyo MOU region in 2025, after fixed fire-extinguishing installations and ISM.1
- Signs of disuse: overpainted pivots, seized sheaves, dry falls; the first things a PSC officer is told to look for.2
- Engines that will not start, and missing or expired equipment, often found together on boats that are not exercised.37
- Crews unable to operate their boat or explain the release gear during a PSC drill.5
- Paperwork gaps: no factual statement for the hooks, annual statements without attached certificates, or falls with no renewal record.74
FAQ
Can a PSC officer order a lifeboat to be lowered?
The officer may examine the launching equipment in detail if there are signs of neglect, which may include lowering survival craft, and may require an abandon ship drill after consulting the master. Who is inside the boat is the master’s decision.
Will a single expired flare detain the ship?
Usually not by itself. Detention is for deficiencies serious enough to make the ship unsafe, such as failure or serious deterioration of survival craft and their launching arrangements. A combination of lesser deficiencies can also lead to detention.
Our service provider is authorised by another flag. Is that enough?
Only if your flag accepts it. MSC.402(96) allows an Administration to accept providers authorised by other Administrations or their recognised organisations, but it does not require it. Check your flag’s circular.
What does the class surveyor want to see lowered?
Each lifeboat to the embarkation position (or a short distance if it stows at the embarkation position), and, if practicable, one survival craft and the rescue boat to the water.
Quiz6 questions
Sources
- 1
Tokyo MOU, Annual Report on Port State Control in the Asia-Pacific Region 2025, sections on inspections and deficiencies, figure 7, figure 8 and table 15. https://www.tokyo-mou.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/ANN25.pdf
- 2
IMO Resolution A.1185(33), Procedures for port State control, 2023 (adopted 6 December 2023), Appendix 6, section 5. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/AssemblyDocuments/A.1185(33).pdf
- 3
IMO Resolution A.1185(33), Procedures for port State control, 2023, Appendix 2 (guidelines for the detention of ships), section 5. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/AssemblyDocuments/A.1185(33).pdf
- 4
IMO Resolution MSC.402(96), Requirements for maintenance, thorough examination, operational testing, overhaul and repair (in force 1 January 2020), Annex, sections 5, 7 and 8. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.402(96).pdf
- 5
IMO Resolution A.1185(33), Procedures for port State control, 2023, Appendix 7 (guidelines for control of operational requirements), paragraphs 2.1.4 and 2.6. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/AssemblyDocuments/A.1185(33).pdf
- 6
IMO Resolution MSC.152(78), Amendments to SOLAS 1974 (in force 1 July 2006), regulation III/19.3.3.3, renumbered 19.3.4.3 by resolution MSC.350(92) from 1 January 2015. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.152(78).pdf
- 7
IMO Resolution A.1207(34), Survey Guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC), 2025 (adopted 3 December 2025), Annex, paragraphs (EA) 1.2.1.16, 1.2.1.17 and 1.2.2.20 to 1.2.2.28. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/OurWork/IIIS/Documents/A%2034-Res.1207%20-%20SURVEY%20GUIDELINES%20UNDER%20THE%20HARMONIZED%20SYSTEMOF%20SURVEY%20AND%20CERTIFICATION%20(HSSC),%202025%20(Secretariat).pdf
- 8
Panama Maritime Authority, Merchant Marine Circular MMC-258 V.04 (May 2026), sections 5.3, 5.7 and 6. https://www.panamashipregistry.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/MMC-258-V04-MAY-2026.pdf
- 9
Liberia Maritime Authority, Marine Notice SAF-005 (Rev. 07/26), paragraph 4.3. https://www.liscr.com/sites/default/files/online_library/SAF-005.pdf
- 10
The Bahamas Maritime Authority, Marine Notice 82, Lifeboat Safety, version 1.1, paragraphs 7.3 and 7.4. https://www.bahamasmaritime.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MN082-Lifeboat-Safety.pdf
Rules checked 20 October 2026. VSL Safety is not an approved training provider and doesn't issue certificates. These lessons don't replace STCW training, or the manufacturer's training and certification that service technicians need.
