SOLAS Lifting Appliances and Cargo Gear Requirements

New SOLAS regulation II-1/3-13 creates an international safety framework for lifting appliances and anchor handling winches. The requirements entered into force on 1 January 2026 and address design, installation, testing, thorough examination, inspection, operation and maintenance. Shipowners should now align existing cargo-gear registers and class practices with the vessel’s flag implementation of the regulation.

This article supports planning but does not replace flag Administration instructions, classification rules, the equipment manual or a competent person’s judgement. Applicability, exemptions and acceptance of existing certification must be confirmed for each vessel.

What equipment is covered?

The regulation addresses lifting appliances and anchor handling winches installed on ships. Depending on vessel type and flag implementation, the inventory may include cargo cranes, provision cranes, hose-handling cranes, engine-room cranes, stores cranes, gantries, derricks and associated loose gear. Loose gear can include blocks, shackles, hooks, chains, rings, swivels, lifting beams and other removable components used with an appliance.

Do not assume every item with a hook has the same survey regime. Personnel-lifting arrangements, launching appliances for life-saving appliances, lifts and equipment governed by another SOLAS provision may follow different requirements. Build a controlled register and record the regulatory basis for each item.

Core compliance principles

Covered equipment must be suitable for its intended service, safely installed, clearly marked and supported by instructions and records. The safe working load must be established and displayed. Operation should be restricted to trained personnel, and maintenance must follow the manufacturer’s instructions and an appropriate planned-maintenance regime.

Testing and thorough examination are not interchangeable. A test demonstrates performance under specified conditions; a thorough examination is a detailed assessment by a competent person intended to detect defects that may affect safe operation. Routine inspections by the crew remain necessary between formal examinations.

Existing ships and existing certification

The regulation contains provisions for appliances installed before its entry into force. Existing ships should not discard established cargo-gear registers or assume that old certificates automatically satisfy every new flag requirement. Instead, conduct a gap review covering equipment identification, SWL marking, test history, thorough-examination dates, loose-gear traceability, manuals, maintenance records and outstanding defects.

Ask the flag Administration or recognised organisation how existing national, class or ILO-based certification will be recognised and what must be completed by the first relevant survey. Document that decision in the vessel’s implementation plan.

Building an accurate lifting-appliance register

A useful register is more than a list of crane names. For each appliance, record:

• unique vessel identification and physical location;
• maker, model, serial number and year of manufacture;
• safe working load and operating-radius limitations;
• associated loose gear and certificate references;
• date and result of initial or renewal testing;
• last thorough examination and next due date;
• maintenance-manual reference and critical replacement history;
• open conditions, repairs or operational restrictions.

Physically reconcile the register against the vessel. Duplicate serial numbers, illegible markings and loose gear without traceable certificates are common causes of delay.

What a thorough examination may include

The competent person determines the scope based on appliance type, age, service, records and observed condition. Examination may cover foundations, pedestals, welds, pins, bushes, sheaves, ropes, drums, brakes, hydraulic cylinders, hoses, safety valves, slewing systems, limit switches, overload protection, controls, emergency stops and electrical protection. Access panels may need opening and components may require dismantling or non-destructive testing.

Loose gear should be cleaned sufficiently for examination, matched to its certificate and checked for distortion, wear, cracks, corrosion, heat damage, damaged threads and legible identification. Items that cannot be positively identified should be quarantined until their status is resolved.

Load testing and operational testing

Testing requires an approved method, suitable calibrated load-measurement equipment and a controlled test area. Agree the proof load, radius, sequence and acceptance criteria with flag or class before mobilising. The berth must permit crane movement and landing of test weights, and deck strength and stability implications must be considered.

Water bags may solve transport challenges but introduce filling, pumping, hose, drainage and suspended-load controls. Solid weights need certified mass and adequate crane and truck access. Neither method should be selected solely on price.

Common deficiencies

• SWL or identification markings are missing, painted over or inconsistent with certificates.
• Wire ropes show broken wires, corrosion, crushing, poor spooling or incorrect end termination.
• Limit switches, overload devices or emergency stops are defective or bypassed.
• Hydraulic leakage contaminates brakes, platforms or access routes.
• Loose gear cannot be matched to the register.
• Structural repairs lack approved procedures and examination records.
• Operators cannot demonstrate familiarisation or pre-use checks.

Information needed before attendance

Send the equipment register, certificates, general arrangement, maker manuals, previous reports, repair history and clear photographs. State whether the job requires gap analysis, annual examination, load test, NDT, repair or certification renewal. Include berth, terminal rules, crane outreach, test-weight logistics and available time.

Risk controls during examination and testing

Lifting-appliance work combines working at height, stored energy, moving machinery and suspended loads. The vessel and service company should agree isolations, lockout controls, barriers, communications, weather limits and emergency arrangements before work. No person should stand under a suspended test load, and crane movements must remain separated from cargo and terminal operations.

Inspection access may require certified fall protection, scaffolding, mobile platforms or rope access. If non-destructive testing is requested, define the method and areas in advance; surface preparation and coating reinstatement can consume more time than the examination itself. Hydraulic accumulators, gravity-loaded components and rotating machinery must be made safe before guards or pins are removed.

Closing the attendance correctly

Before demobilisation, compare the appliance and loose-gear register with the items actually examined. The report should identify the competent person, date and place, test loads, measuring equipment, results, defects, repairs and next due dates. Certificates should use the same equipment descriptions and serial numbers marked onboard.

Any failed or quarantined item must be physically controlled so it cannot return to service inadvertently. Update planned-maintenance tasks, risk assessments and operating limitations. Where class or flag witnessing is required, obtain the endorsement or survey-status update before assuming the statutory item is closed.

Owners should also review patterns across sister vessels. Repeated rope damage, brake contamination or limit-switch failures may indicate a maintenance, operating or design issue that should be addressed fleet-wide rather than repaired one crane at a time.

A post-attendance review should confirm that the statutory record, class status, planned-maintenance system and physical markings agree. Keep calibration certificates and test-load evidence with the main report. If documentation will be issued after sailing, define the responsible contact and deadline and retain a signed preliminary record onboard. Certification gaps discovered during a later port State control inspection are much harder to resolve than missing pages identified while the competent person is still available.

Arrange inspection and certification

Review the vslSafety scope for lifting appliances and cargo gear certification. Location guides are available for major markets including Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, with port planning for Jebel Ali. Final attendance remains subject to scope-specific competent-person and flag/class acceptance.

Official references

Use SOLAS regulation II-1/3-13 together with the IMO guidelines for lifting appliances and anchor handling winches, flag implementation notices, class rules and manufacturer instructions. Check the IMO website and your Administration’s current circulars for authoritative requirements.