Life-saving appliances are the ninth per cent of Port State Control deficiencies that nobody argues about. A fire damper can be freed on the spot and a light bulb replaced, but a lifeboat whose on-load release gear has not been overhauled inside five years cannot be made compliant at the berth, because the work requires certified personnel, a load test and a certificate. That asymmetry is what makes LSA findings so expensive: most of them are not defects a crew can close, they are dates that have already passed. Under SOLAS chapter III and IMO resolution MSC.402(96), the regime splits cleanly — weekly and monthly inspections belong to the ship, annual and five-yearly thorough examination, operational testing and overhaul belong to certified personnel of the manufacturer or an authorised service provider, and there is no provision in SOLAS to postpone the five-yearly service and load test. This guide covers each interval and what it actually requires, release gear, lifeboat engines, liferaft servicing and extensions, davits, falls and winch brakes, and the records that decide whether an inspection ends in a signature or a detention. Start a free trial of Marine Inspection to track LSA due dates and hold the certificates against each appliance.
SOLAS chapter III — resolution MSC.402(96)
Four intervals, and two of them are not yours to move
Weekly and monthly are the ship’s work. Annual and five-yearly are certified work with a certificate attached, and the five-yearly has no postponement provision at all.
Start here
Know every LSA due date before the surveyor does
Weekly and monthly checks captured on board, annual and five-yearly certificates held against each appliance, and a fleet view of what expires next quarter.
What each interval actually requires
Weekly
All survival craft, rescue boats and launching appliances visually inspected for readiness. Lifeboat and rescue boat engines run for at least three minutes, and the general emergency alarm tested. Running an engine for thirty seconds to hear it fire is not the requirement — three minutes is what lets the engine reach operating temperature and reveals cooling and charging faults.
Monthly
Inspection of all life-saving appliances, including lifeboat equipment, using the checklist. The result is recorded in the log-book. This is the interval where missing or expired loose equipment gets found, provided the checklist is actually worked through rather than signed.
Annual
Thorough examination and operational testing of lifeboats, rescue boats, launching appliances and release gear by certified personnel of the manufacturer or an authorised service provider. Covers boat structure and equipment, engine and propulsion, sprinkler and air supply systems where fitted, manoeuvring and power systems, bailing arrangements, and the release gear including free play, hydrostatic interlocks and control cables. The winch brake is dynamically tested by lowering the empty craft at maximum speed and applying the brake abruptly.
Five-yearly
Hook release units dismantled, examined for tolerances, defects and cracks, adjusted and reassembled, followed by an operational test under a load equal to 1.1 times the weight of the craft with its full complement of persons and equipment. The launching appliance is proof tested at the same figure. There is no provision in SOLAS chapter III to postpone this work.
On-load release gear: the item that cannot be fixed at the berth
Release gear is where LSA findings turn into detentions, because every part of putting it right requires somebody who is not on board. It is also the system with the worst accident history in the whole of chapter III, which is why the overhaul regime is prescriptive rather than advisory. See how overhaul dates are tracked per hook and per boat, with the certificate attached where a surveyor will look for it.
1
Know your due date to the month. Five years from the last overhaul, not five years from a convenient survey. Put it in the planning system with a lead time long enough to book a service provider and a suitable port.
2
The test load is 1.1 times the craft and full complement. Not the empty boat, not a nominal figure. The certificate should state the load applied and how it was derived.
3
Check free play and interlocks at the annual. Excessive free play in the hook mechanism and a hydrostatic interlock that does not prevent release are the two findings that precede an accidental release.
4
Never operate the on-load release with people in the boat. Drills with the boat waterborne use the off-load release where the design provides it, and the maintenance and drill procedures should say so explicitly.
5
Confirm the gear is a compliant design. Release mechanisms that did not meet the current standard required replacement or modification under the earlier evaluation regime; if you cannot show yours complies, that is a finding in itself.
6
Keep the certificate where the surveyor looks. With the LSA records, referencing the boat and hook serial numbers, not filed by service provider in an office ashore.
Lifeboat engines, and why three minutes matters
Run it long enough to learn something
Three minutes lets the engine warm, the cooling system circulate and the charging system show itself. A brief start proves the battery had enough for one attempt and nothing else.
Batteries are the commonest failure
Charger left off, terminals corroded, battery beyond its life. Check the charger is actually charging rather than merely powered, and record battery replacement dates.
Fuel goes stale
Fuel that has sat for years degrades and grows contamination. Change it on a schedule, keep the tank full to limit condensation, and check the filter rather than waiting for a rough run.
Cooling and the water supply
For boats run on the falls, the cooling arrangement and its water supply need to be proven. Running dry to satisfy a weekly entry damages the impeller and hides the real condition.
Free-fall boats still need running
The engine requirement applies whether or not the boat is launched. Simulated launch arrangements let the boat and its systems be exercised without a free-fall drop.
Record what you found, not that you ran it
A log entry saying the engine ran tells a surveyor nothing. Noting starting behaviour, running temperature and charging condition builds the trend that predicts the failure.
Mid-point
The five-yearly is a lead-time problem, not a maintenance problem
Due dates per appliance with enough warning to book a service provider and a port, certificates attached where the surveyor looks, and the weekly and monthly records that show the ship did its own part.
Every interval, who does it, and what the record must show
Item
Interval
Who
What the record must show
Survival craft, rescue boats, launching appliances
Weekly visual inspection
Ship’s crew
Inspection carried out and readiness confirmed; defects raised as jobs
Lifeboat and rescue boat engines
Weekly, run at least 3 minutes
Ship’s crew
Engine run with duration; starting and running condition noted
General emergency alarm
Weekly test
Ship’s crew
Alarm tested and audible throughout
All life-saving appliances including lifeboat equipment
Monthly checklist inspection
Ship’s crew
Checklist completed and the result entered in the log-book
Lifeboats, rescue boats, launching appliances, release gear
Annual thorough examination and operational test
Certified personnel of the maker or an authorised service provider
Report identifying the craft and equipment, findings, and the personnel’s certification
Winch brake
Annual dynamic test
Certified personnel
Empty craft lowered at maximum speed with the brake abruptly applied; result recorded
On-load release gear
Five-yearly overhaul and operational test
Certified personnel
Hook units dismantled and examined, and the test load stated as 1.1 times craft and full complement
Launching appliance
Five-yearly proof test
Certified personnel
Proof load applied at 1.1 times craft and full complement, with the certificate on board
Falls used in launching
Renewed at not more than 5 years, or earlier on deterioration
Ship or service provider per the arrangement
Renewal date, and any end-for-end turning, recorded
Inflatable liferafts
Servicing at an approved station, normally within 12 months
Approved servicing station
Servicing certificate showing the station, date and next due date
Hydrostatic release units
Per type — serviced annually or disposable units replaced at the marked date
Approved station or ship, per type
Service record or the disposal-date marking on the unit itself
Inflatable lifejackets
Annual servicing at an approved station
Approved servicing station
Certificate per jacket or batch with the next due date
Lifejackets and immersion suits
Periodic inspection per the applicable guidance
Ship’s crew or approved station depending on type
Inspection record per item, with lights and whistles checked and expiry dates tracked
Liferafts: servicing, extensions and the certificate
Twelve months is the normal interval
Servicing at an approved station within twelve months is the baseline. The certificate on board should show the station, the service date and the next due date, and the next due date is what the surveyor works from.
Extended intervals exist but are conditional
Certain new and novel inflatable liferaft types are permitted extended service intervals of up to thirty months under the relevant IMO circular, typically during the first ten years of service, after which the standard twelve-month interval resumes. This depends on the raft type and the flag’s acceptance — confirm it rather than assuming it applies to your rafts.
Ageing rafts need a case made for them
Service beyond the customary life can be accepted where the manufacturer demonstrates that fabric and seals still comply, subject to flag review. That is a documented process, not a decision to keep using a raft.
Stowage and release arrangements
Painter connected to a weak link or HRU correctly, cradle and lashings in order, raft free to float off, and nothing stowed over or against it. A perfectly serviced raft that cannot float free is still a finding.
Davit-launched rafts add equipment
The automatic release hook and its arrangements come into the examination and testing regime alongside the davit. Check they are covered in your service scope rather than assumed.
Match the numbers to the ship
Capacity, distribution between sides and the muster list all have to agree with what is actually stowed. Rafts moved or replaced without the documentation following them create a mismatch a surveyor will spot.
Davits, falls and winch brakes
Falls are renewed at not more than five years, or earlier if deterioration requires it. Where end-for-end turning is part of the arrangement, that is recorded too — surveyors check the record, not just the wire.
Inspect the whole length, not the visible part. Broken wires, corrosion, deformation and diameter reduction against the discard criteria, including the section on the drum and around the sheaves.
Sheaves, pins and bearings seize quietly. A sheave that will not turn drags the fall and damages it, and it is easy to miss on a visual from the deck.
Limit switches and interlocks get tested, not looked at. Each one proven individually as part of the operational test rather than assumed to work because nothing has gone wrong.
Brake linings and adjustment. The dynamic test proves the brake at maximum lowering speed; lining thickness and remaining adjustment tell you whether it will still pass next year.
Structure and stowage. Davit arms, pedestals and their deck connections corrode at the seat like every other deck structure, and gripes and harbour pins must be capable of being released as designed.
The records that decide pass or detention
01
Annual and five-yearly certificates identifying the craft, the launching appliance and the release gear by serial number, with the service provider’s certification evident.
02
The log-book entry for monthly inspections, which is where SOLAS expects the result to be recorded rather than in a separate file.
03
Weekly records showing engines run and alarms tested, with enough detail to show the three-minute requirement was met.
04
Liferaft and inflatable lifejacket servicing certificates with next-due dates, matching the units actually on board by serial number.
05
Fall renewal and turning records, with dates, because this is a five-year clock that nobody notices until it has run out.
06
Drill records that match the muster list, showing who took part, what was practised and any lessons recorded — not a signature sheet.
The finding you cannot close at the berth
Most fire and structural findings can be corrected in hours. An overdue five-yearly overhaul cannot: it needs certified personnel, a load test at 1.1 times the craft and full complement, and a certificate — and SOLAS chapter III provides no mechanism to postpone it. The same is true of an out-of-date liferaft service. Treat both as lead-time items with months of warning, and never as something to be caught up at the next convenient port.
The week before the inspection
1
Check every due date first. Release gear overhaul, launching appliance proof test, liferaft and lifejacket servicing, fall renewal. Dates before condition — a date that has passed cannot be fixed by cleaning.
2
Run the engines properly and write down what happened. Three minutes, noting starting, temperature and charging.
3
Work the monthly checklist for real. Open the lockers, check the loose equipment against the list, and check expiry dates on rations, water, flares and batteries.
4
Confirm certificates match serial numbers. A certificate for a raft the ship no longer carries is worse than no certificate, because it suggests nobody is checking.
5
Walk the stowage and release paths. Gripes, harbour pins, HRUs, painters and weak links, and nothing stowed against a raft or in a launch path.
6
Brief the crew on their muster duties. Familiarity is tested by asking, and an officer who cannot explain the release arrangement in front of an inspector undoes an otherwise clean record.
Frequently asked questions
How long must lifeboat engines be run?
At least three minutes in the weekly inspection, where ambient temperature allows the engine to be started. The duration matters because it is what brings the engine to operating temperature and exposes cooling and charging faults that a brief start hides.
Who can carry out the annual and five-yearly work?
Certified personnel of the manufacturer or an authorised service provider. Weekly and monthly inspections are carried out by the ship’s crew, but thorough examination, operational testing, overhaul and repair are not work the ship can do for itself.
What load is used to test on-load release gear?
A load equal to 1.1 times the weight of the survival craft or rescue boat with its full complement of persons and equipment, applied after the hook release units have been dismantled, examined and reassembled at the five-yearly overhaul. The launching appliance proof test uses the same figure.
Can the five-yearly service be postponed?
No. There is no provision in SOLAS chapter III to postpone the five-yearly service and load test, which is why it has to be planned with enough lead time to secure a service provider and a suitable port rather than fitted around the next convenient call.
How often are liferafts serviced?
Normally within twelve months at an approved servicing station. Certain new and novel inflatable types are permitted extended intervals of up to thirty months under the relevant IMO circular, typically during the first ten years of service, after which the twelve-month interval resumes. Whether it applies to your rafts depends on the type and the flag’s acceptance.
When must launching appliance falls be renewed?
At intervals not exceeding five years, or earlier when deterioration requires it, whichever comes first. The renewal date and any end-for-end turning should appear in the records, because surveyors check the record alongside the wire.
What changed for LSA in 2026?
Lifeboat ventilation systems, where fitted, are included in the annual thorough examination and operational testing from 1 January 2026. Life jackets newly provided must turn an unconscious wearer face-up, launching appliances installed from 2026 have lowering speeds bounded at 1.0 and 1.3 m/s, and a totally enclosed lifeboat ventilation standard applies to lifeboats installed from 2029.
Why do LSA findings so often lead to detention?
Because many of them are expired dates rather than defects. A missing item can be replaced and a dirty boat cleaned, but an overdue overhaul or an out-of-date liferaft service needs certified personnel, a test and a certificate — none of which can be produced at the berth.
Before your next survey
Turn LSA dates into warnings instead of findings
Every appliance with its own due dates and certificates, weekly and monthly records captured on board, and a fleet view showing which ship runs out of time next.
