Start hereRules checked 20 October 2026
The annual thorough examination gets the attention, but it happens once a year. The other 51 weeks belong to the crew. A hook that was not fully reset after a drill, a brake lining soaked in oil, a fall wire drying out in the sheave: these are found, or missed, at the weekly and monthly checks. The 2009 IMO circular on lifeboat accidents listed “inadequate maintenance of lifeboats, davits and launching equipment” and “lack of familiarity” among the main causes of injuries and deaths, alongside failing hooks.
This lesson is the routine that keeps a lifeboat ready between service visits: what SOLAS demands each week and month, what you may and may not touch, and what the records must show.
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In this lesson
- Monthly inspection: lifeboat No. 1 (port), bulk carrier
- In plain words
- In detail
- What the rules say
- Flag and class notes
- Key numbers
- What inspectors find
- Quiz: 6 questions
Try it
Monthly inspection: lifeboat No. 1 (port), bulk carrier
In plain words
Every week, someone looks at every lifeboat, rescue boat and davit and asks: could we use this right now? They check that the hooks are closed and fully reset, they start each engine and run it for at least three minutes, they move the boats a little out of their stowed position on cargo ships (not the free-fall boat) to show the davits work, and they test the general alarm. It all goes in the log book.
Every month, the boats are swung out (turned out) of their stowed position with nobody inside, if the weather allows, and the crew goes through the manufacturer’s checklist item by item: equipment, hull, engine, release gear, davit, winch, falls. The report goes in the log book too.
The crew may do these checks and the routine maintenance in the manual, such as greasing, under the direction of a senior officer. They should not dismantle or adjust release gear or winches beyond what the manual’s onboard maintenance allows. That is repair, and it needs a certified technician.
In detail
Weekly: SOLAS regulation III/20.6
| Item | What to do | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| 20.6.1 Visual inspection | Every survival craft, rescue boat and launching appliance; includes “the condition of hooks, their attachment to the lifeboat and the on-load release gear being properly and completely reset” | Reset indicators, hook position, safety pins removed, gripes and lashings, battery charger, painter rigged |
| 20.6.2 Engines | Run lifeboat and rescue boat engines for a total of not less than 3 minutes if the ambient temperature allows; show the gearbox engages | Cooling water: an engine run dry can be damaged. Outboards that cannot run dry may use a suitable water supply |
| 20.6.3 Lifeboats on cargo ships | Move each lifeboat (not free-fall) from its stowed position, with nobody on board, enough to show the launching appliance works, if weather allows | Sticky davit rollers, brake release, limit switches |
| 20.6.4 Alarm | Test the general emergency alarm | Audibility at the muster stations |
Monthly: SOLAS regulation III/20.7
- 20.7.1: turn out every lifeboat (except free-fall) from its stowed position, without persons on board, if weather and sea conditions allow.
- 20.7.2: inspect the life-saving appliances, including lifeboat equipment, using the regulation III/36 checklist, to ensure they are complete and in good order, and enter the report in the log book.
The checklist comes from the manufacturer’s maintenance instructions, which SOLAS III/36 requires to include a checklist, maintenance and repair instructions, a schedule of periodic maintenance, a lubrication diagram, lists of replaceable parts and spare part sources, and a log. Many companies put this in their planned maintenance system, which SOLAS III/20.3.3 allows the Administration to accept.
A practical monthly sequence
- Plan and brief. Check the weather, the manual and the risk assessment. Nobody goes in the boat while it is swung out unless the procedure says so and fall preventer devices are fitted where the company requires them.
- Before moving the boat: gripes and lashings free, painter rigged, davit tracks and pivots clear, winch brake and remote release wire free, falls visible on the drum and in the sheaves.
- Turn out to the embarkation position, observe the brake and the limit switches, then recover and secure.
- Inside the boat, with the boat stowed and secured: hooks and reset indicators, release handle and cover, cables (no kinks, chafe or corrosion), hydrostatic interlock, engine, fuel, battery and charger, bilge, drain plugs, air bottles and pressure on air-supported boats, water spray system on fire-protected boats, equipment against the list (water, rations, pyrotechnics expiry, first aid kit, bailer, bucket, oars or paddles).
- Record on the checklist, sign, have the master countersign, enter in the log, and raise defects in the planned maintenance system.
Falls between examinations
Since 1 July 2008 SOLAS III/20.4 has required falls to be inspected periodically, with special attention to the parts that pass through sheaves, and renewed when deteriorated or at least every 5 years. The older rule, turning falls end-for-end every 30 months, no longer exists, though nothing stops you doing it if the maker allows. The Bahamas Maritime Authority gives a good model for the periodic inspection: lower the boat or pay the wire out until no more than one layer remains on the drum, clean the wire, look closely at the parts that rested in sheaves, confirm it is free of corrosion and that grease has penetrated the whole rope, re-grease with an approved grease and rewind as the maker says.
Lines you must not cross
- No work on release gear under load. MSC.402(96) is explicit that no maintenance or adjustment of release gear may be done while the hooks are under load. Use the hanging-off arrangement the davit has for this purpose.
- No repairs. “Repair” means anything that needs disassembly, or anything outside the onboard maintenance and emergency repair instructions. That is work for a certified technician of the manufacturer or an authorised service provider.
- Hanging-off pennants are for maintenance only, not for drills.
What the rules say
- SOLAS regulation III/20.6.1 requires a weekly visual inspection of every survival craft, rescue boat and launching appliance, including “the condition of hooks, their attachment to the lifeboat and the on-load release gear being properly and completely reset”.2
- SOLAS regulation III/20.6.2 requires all lifeboat and rescue boat engines to be run weekly for a total of not less than 3 minutes, provided the ambient temperature allows, demonstrating that the gearbox engages.23
- SOLAS regulation III/20.6.3 requires lifeboats on cargo ships, except free-fall lifeboats, to be moved weekly from their stowed position without persons on board, as far as needed to show the launching appliance works, if weather allows.2
- SOLAS regulation III/20.7.1 requires all lifeboats except free-fall lifeboats to be turned out monthly from their stowed position without persons on board, if weather and sea conditions allow.2
- SOLAS regulation III/20.7.2 requires a monthly inspection of the life-saving appliances, including lifeboat equipment, using the regulation III/36 checklist, with a report entered in the log book.21
- SOLAS regulation III/20.4 requires falls to be inspected periodically, with special regard for areas passing through sheaves, and renewed when necessary or at not more than 5 years.3
- MSC.402(96) paragraph 4.1 allows weekly and monthly inspections and routine maintenance from the maintenance manuals to be done by shipboard personnel under the direction of a senior ship’s officer.4
- MSC.402(96) paragraph 6.2.4, note 2, states that no maintenance or adjustment of release gear shall be undertaken while the hooks are under load.4
- MSC.402(96) paragraph 6.2.1 makes the weekly and monthly checklist items the first part of the annual thorough examination, and 6.2.2 requires the crew’s inspection and maintenance records to be reviewed then.4
- MSC.1/Circ.1206/Rev.1 asks Administrations to ensure that hanging-off pennants are used only for maintenance purposes and not during training exercises.5
Flag and class notes
- Bahamas (Marine Notice 82) says weekly and monthly inspections by a competent person do not need flag authorisation, sets out a detailed periodic falls inspection procedure, and requires records to state the annual inspection results, any end-for-ending and fall renewals, to be verified by the surveyor at the Safety Equipment survey. Missing records count as an ISM non-conformity that the auditor must report to the flag.6
- Liberia (Marine Notice SAF-005) requires class- and maker-approved fall securing, bans bulldog grips as primary terminations, and requires monthly crew checks of lifeboat air support systems, with bottles recharged when pressure falls below 10% of full and hydrostatically tested every five years or as the bottle maker says.7
- Class: at the annual survey the surveyor checks the log book entries for drills and for the examination of lifeboat equipment, and that the falls have been periodically inspected and renewed as necessary in the past five years.8
Key numbers
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| Weekly engine run | At least 3 minutes in total2 |
| Weekly movement from stowed position | Cargo ship lifeboats, not free-fall, no persons on board2 |
| Monthly turning-out | All lifeboats except free-fall, no persons on board, weather permitting2 |
| Falls renewal | When deteriorated or at not more than 5 years3 |
| Falls end-for-ending every 30 months | No longer required since 1 July 200836 |
| Air support bottle recharge (Liberia) | Below 10% of full pressure7 |
What inspectors find
- Weekly and monthly logs that are copied, not done. Identical entries every week, or a monthly checklist ticked on a day the ship’s log shows the boat could not have been turned out, are easy for an auditor to spot. The Bahamas treats missing records as an ISM non-conformity.6
- Hooks not properly reset after a drill. This is exactly why SOLAS added the hook reset check to the weekly inspection in 2006.2
- Dry, corroded falls. PSC officers are told to look for absence of greasing and the condition of blocks and falls.9
- Engines that do not start. The class surveyor tests that each lifeboat and rescue boat engine starts and runs ahead and astern; a flat battery or failed charger is a common annual finding.8
FAQ
The weather has been bad all month. Is a missed turning-out a breach?
SOLAS requires the monthly turning-out “if weather and sea conditions so allow”. Record the reason in the log book each time and do it at the first safe opportunity. A pattern of missed months with no reasons will be questioned.
Can the crew grease the hooks and davit?
Yes, if it is routine maintenance in the maintenance manual and done under a senior officer’s direction. Dismantling, adjusting or replacing release gear parts is repair work for a certified technician.
Do free-fall lifeboats need the weekly and monthly movement?
No. SOLAS excludes free-fall lifeboats from the weekly movement and the monthly turning-out. They still get the weekly visual inspection and engine run, and the monthly checklist inspection.
Who signs the checklists?
The person who did the work signs, and the master or the company’s representative countersigns, as MSC.402(96) section 5.1 requires.
Quiz6 questions
Sources
- 1
IMO Resolution MSC.47(66), Amendments to SOLAS 1974 (adopted 4 June 1996), regulation III/36 (instructions for onboard maintenance). https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.47(66).pdf
- 2
IMO Resolution MSC.152(78), Amendments to SOLAS 1974 (adopted 20 May 2004, in force 1 July 2006), Annex: regulation III/20.3, III/20.6 and III/20.7. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.152(78).pdf
- 3
IMO Resolution MSC.216(82), Amendments to SOLAS 1974 (adopted 8 December 2006, in force 1 July 2008), Annex, items 25 and 26: regulation III/20.4 and III/20.6.2. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.216(82).pdf
- 4
IMO Resolution MSC.402(96), Requirements for maintenance, thorough examination, operational testing, overhaul and repair of lifeboats and rescue boats, launching appliances and release gear (in force 1 January 2020), Annex, paragraphs 2.2.6, 4.1, 5.1, 6.2.1, 6.2.2 and 6.2.4. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.402(96).pdf
- 5
IMO MSC.1/Circ.1206/Rev.1, Measures to prevent accidents with lifeboats (11 June 2009), paragraphs 1 and 2.3.8. https://transportstyrelsen.se/globalassets/global/sjofart/dokument/imo_dokument/msc/msc.circ.1206-rev1.pdf
- 6
The Bahamas Maritime Authority, Marine Notice 82, Lifeboat Safety, version 1.1 (effective 1 November 2023), sections 5.1, 7 and 10.1. https://www.bahamasmaritime.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MN082-Lifeboat-Safety.pdf
- 7
Liberia Maritime Authority, Marine Notice SAF-005 (Rev. 07/26), sections 5 and 6. https://www.liscr.com/sites/default/files/online_library/SAF-005.pdf
- 8
IMO Resolution A.1207(34), Survey Guidelines under the HSSC, 2025, Annex, paragraphs (EA) 1.2.1.17, 1.2.2.22 and 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
- 9
IMO Resolution A.1185(33), Procedures for port State control, 2023, Appendix 6, section 5. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/AssemblyDocuments/A.1185(33).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.
