Lesson 8 · 12 min
Records and the fit-for-purpose statement
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.
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The 2-minute primer
New to this? These 6 cards explain the lesson in plain words. Go through them first and the lesson will make sense.
Primer done.
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1/6Picture this
A service book full of stamps
When you buy a used car, you ask for its service book. Each stamp shows a date, what was done and who did it. A car with a full book is easier to trust than one with blank pages.
A lifeboat’s records do the same job. On a ship, work that isn’t written down didn’t happen.
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2/6The big idea
Two sets of records, both signed
The crew write the weekly checks, monthly checks and drills in the log-book.
After the annual or five-yearly work, the technician signs a report and the master countersigns it. The service firm then issues a short statement that the lifeboat arrangements remain fit for purpose. Records stay on board for the equipment’s whole life.
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3/6Words you'll meet
Five words, in plain English
- Log-book
- the ship’s official diary of checks, drills and defects.
- Service report
- the technician’s written record of what they examined, tested, found and replaced.
- Countersign
- to sign after someone else, showing you received the paper and know what it says.
- Fit-for-purpose statement
- the service firm’s written confirmation that the lifeboat arrangements are still fit for use.
- Service life
- the whole time a piece of equipment stays in use on the ship.
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4/6Why it matters
Gaps on paper hide faults
The technicians read the crew’s records before they start the annual examination. Surveyors and port inspectors read them too, and missing entries make faults harder to spot.
A report without its signatures, its statement, or proof that the technician was qualified for that equipment leaves the ship unable to show the work was done properly.
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5/6In this lesson
What you’ll be able to do
- Know what goes in the log-book, and when.
- Tell who signs a service report and who countersigns it.
- Check a service report pack for gaps before the technicians leave.
- Know how long records must be kept.
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6/6Quick check
Who countersigns the technician’s service report?
Right: the person who did the work signs, and the master or the company’s representative countersigns to show the ship received it.
In plain words
On a ship, work that isn’t written down didn’t happen. That is especially true for lifeboats.
There are two kinds of lifeboat records. The first is the ship’s own log-book: every weekly check, every monthly inspection and every drill gets an entry. The second comes from the service technicians after the annual or five-yearly work: a signed report, and a short statement that the lifeboat arrangements “remain fit for purpose”.
Both matter. The technicians read the crew’s records before they start the annual examination. Surveyors and port State inspectors read all of it. And the next crew needs to know what was done, what was found and what was replaced.
This lesson explains what must be recorded, who signs what, how long records are kept, and how to check that a service report is complete before the technicians leave the ship.
Key points
- The weekly inspection and the monthly inspection are each reported in the log-book (SOLAS III/20.6, III/20.7.2).
- Drills are recorded in the log-book; if a drill is not held in full, the entry states the circumstances and the extent of the drill held (SOLAS III/19.5).
- All reports and checklists are signed by the person who did the work and countersigned by the Company’s representative or the master (MSC.402(96) §5.1).
- Records of maintenance, examination, testing, overhaul and repair are kept on board “for the service life of the equipment” (MSC.402(96) §5.2).
- After the work, the manufacturer or authorised service provider promptly issues a statement that the lifeboat arrangements remain fit for purpose, with copies of its authorisation and its technicians’ certification (MSC.402(96) §5.3).
- At the next annual examination, the crew’s inspection and maintenance records are reviewed (MSC.402(96) §6.2.2).
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In the rest of this lesson
- The detail
- Deep dive
- Try it: Check a service report for gaps
- Quiz: 5 questions
- Ask our engineers about this lesson
Familiarisation training from Al Safwan Academy. Finishing a course shows completion of online familiarisation training: it is not an STCW, flag-approved or manufacturer qualification, and these courses don't replace that training. The manufacturer's manual and your flag's rules always come first.