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Lifeboats and liferafts

Lifeboat safety and the rules

Why lifeboats hurt people, which rules keep crews safe, and what to check, log and leave to specialists.

8 lessons 1 h 30 min Introductory 3D simulator in every lesson Final quiz Course completed card

Written by Al Safwan Marine service engineers

Start course Preview lesson 1

Lesson 1 is open to everyone. An account (just your email) opens all 8 lessons and saves your progress.

What you'll learn

  • The lifeboat accidents behind today's rules, what went wrong in each, and the rule or practice that now addresses it.
  • Which document answers which lifeboat question: SOLAS chapter III, the LSA Code, MSC.402(96), MSC.81(70), IMO circulars, flag notices and class rules.
  • The types of lifeboat and rescue boat, which ones a ship carries, and what each main system on board does, with the LSA Code paragraph behind it.
  • On-load and off-load release, the hydrostatic interlock, why a hook must be completely reset, the 2014–2019 hook replacement and fall preventer devices.
  • What the crew must check every week and every month under SOLAS III/20, and how to write it up in the log-book.
  • How often lifeboats, free-fall boats and rescue boats must be drilled and launched under SOLAS III/19, and how to run those drills safely.

Course content

8 lessons · 1 h 30 min total

Lesson 1 is open to everyone. An account opens the rest.

1 Why lifeboats hurt people 10 min · 3D simulator · Quiz Open

The lifeboat accidents behind today's rules, what went wrong in each, and the rule or practice that now addresses it.

Open lesson 1

2 The rulebook map 11 min · 3D simulator · Quiz With an account

Which document answers which lifeboat question: SOLAS chapter III, the LSA Code, MSC.402(96), MSC.81(70), IMO circulars, flag notices and class rules.

See how lesson 2 starts

3 Know your boat 12 min · 3D simulator · Quiz With an account

The types of lifeboat and rescue boat, which ones a ship carries, and what each main system on board does, with the LSA Code paragraph behind it.

See how lesson 3 starts

4 Hooks and release gear 14 min · 3D simulator · Quiz With an account

On-load and off-load release, the hydrostatic interlock, why a hook must be completely reset, the 2014–2019 hook replacement and fall preventer devices.

See how lesson 4 starts

5 Weekly and monthly lifeboat checks 12 min · 3D simulator · Quiz With an account

What the crew must check every week and every month under SOLAS III/20, and how to write it up in the log-book.

See how lesson 5 starts

6 Drills without accidents 13 min · 3D simulator · Quiz With an account

How often lifeboats, free-fall boats and rescue boats must be drilled and launched under SOLAS III/19, and how to run those drills safely.

See how lesson 6 starts

7 Who may do what 12 min · 3D simulator · Quiz With an account

Which lifeboat jobs the ship's crew may do, and which need certified technicians from the manufacturer or an authorised service provider.

See how lesson 7 starts

8 Records and the fit-for-purpose statement 12 min · 3D simulator · Quiz With an account

What must be written in the log-book, what a service report must contain and be signed by, and what the fit-for-purpose statement is.

See how lesson 8 starts

Final quiz
15 questions from across the course · pass with 12After the lessons
Course completed card
With your name and a link anyone can checkAt the end

Inside a lesson

Every lesson in this course has the same five steps: a primer, a 3D tour of the part (Watch it), the reading, a task you do on the 3D machine yourself (Try it) and a short quiz. 8 lessons use this simulator.

A fire-protected enclosed lifeboat on a gravity davit at a ship's side, with its winch, falls and release hooks

Who this is for

  • Crew
  • Officers
  • Superintendents

No experience needed: every lesson starts with a short primer in plain words.

Your Course completed card

Finish every lesson and pass the final quiz (12 of 15) to get a Course completed card with your name and a QR code anyone can scan to verify.

Share it on LinkedIn, WhatsApp and elsewhere, or download the picture.

It shows you completed online familiarisation training. It is not a certificate or an STCW, flag-approved or manufacturer qualification, and it doesn't replace that training.

About this course

An orange enclosed lifeboat hanging from a yellow A-frame crane on a quayside
A job photo from our group's lifeboat team.

Lifeboats are built to save lives, yet for years they hurt and killed seafarers during ordinary drills and tests. Most of today’s lifeboat rules were written in answer to those accidents. This course starts there, then shows you where each rule lives and what it asks of you.

You will learn to find your way around SOLAS chapter III, the LSA Code and resolution MSC.402(96). You will learn the main types of lifeboat and rescue boat and how on-load release hooks work. Then come the weekly and monthly checks, safe drills, who may do which job, and the records that must be kept. Every lesson gives the exact references and links to the free IMO texts, so you can check the source yourself.

The course is for awareness and refresher learning. It does not replace STCW survival craft training, the manufacturer’s instructions or the training that service technicians need. When this course and your boat’s manual seem to differ, follow the manual and ask the manufacturer.

Written by Al Safwan Marine's service engineers from SOLAS, the IMO codes and circulars, and class and flag rules. The sources are listed at the end of every lesson.

3D

Lifeboats and liferafts

Lifeboats, rescue boats and davits

How lifeboats, rescue boats and their davits work, how they are examined and load-tested, and how to drill safely.

9 lessons2 h 10 minPractical

Ready? Lesson 1 takes 10 minutes.

Free during our launch period. On your phone or computer, no password.

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Lifeboat safety8 lessons
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