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Lifeboats and davitsLesson 3 of 9

Weekly and monthly lifeboat checks by the crew

You will be able to run, record and supervise the weekly and monthly lifeboat checks so they meet SOLAS and stand up to an inspector.

13 minutes · For signed-up learners, free · Rules checked 20 October 2026

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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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The rest of this lesson, the interactive Monthly inspection: lifeboat No. 1 (port), bulk carrier and the quiz are open to signed-up learners. It's free, takes a minute, and opens every lesson in all 14 courses.

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In this lesson

  • Try it: 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
  • Questions people ask
  • Quiz: 6 questions

Sources

  1. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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

Free awareness training. Al Safwan Marine is not an approved training provider, so no certificate is given, and these courses are not a qualification. They don't replace STCW training, manufacturer training or the certification technicians need for this work. The manufacturer's manual and your flag's rules always come first.

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