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Lifeboat and liferaft courses

Lifeboats, davits, release hooks, liferafts and personal life-saving appliances: how they work, how they are examined, and what crew and surveyors check.

  • 4 courses, 33 lessons
  • About 7 h 29 min in all
  • Free certificate
Start with “Lifeboat safety” See all courses

Lesson 1 takes 10 min. It is open to everyone, no account needed.

Try a lesson, no account needed Liferaft types and how they are stowed Lesson 1 of Liferafts and personal life-saving appliances · 15 min

Courses in this topic

In the order we suggest

3D

Lifeboats and liferaftsStart here

Lifeboat safety and the rules

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

8 lessons1 h 30 minIntroductory

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

What you will be able to do

After the courses in this topic.

  • Name the parts of a lifeboat, davit, winch and release gear and say what each one does
  • Run the weekly and monthly lifeboat checks and log them the way the rules ask
  • Explain what the annual and five-yearly thorough examinations cover and who may do them
  • Plan a lifeboat drill that trains the crew without putting anyone under a hanging boat
  • Check a liferaft, HRU, lifejacket and immersion suit before the service date runs out

Questions people ask

Is MSC.402(96) a guideline or a requirement?

A requirement. It was adopted as a resolution, but SOLAS regulation III/3.25 and III/20.11.5 make it mandatory, and amendments to it follow the SOLAS amendment procedure. That is why its 2024 amendment, MSC.559(108), entered into force on a fixed date like a SOLAS amendment.

Can our own company do the annual examination?

Only if the company is itself an authorised service provider under MSC.402(96) sections 3 and 7, and the people doing the work hold certificates for that make and type under section 8. Otherwise the crew does the weekly and monthly work and an authorised provider does the annual work.

Does MSC.402(96) apply to liferafts?

Partly. It covers the launching appliances and automatic release hooks of davit-launched liferafts, not the liferafts themselves. Inflatable liferafts are serviced at approved servicing stations under SOLAS III/20.8.

Why is a gravity davit preferred?

Because it works with the ship blacked out. The LSA Code requires launching by gravity or stored mechanical power independent of the ship’s power supplies, in both the loaded and light condition.

What is the difference between off-load and on-load release?

Off-load release only opens the hooks when the boat is afloat and the falls are slack. On-load release opens them with weight on the hooks, for a ship that cannot wait, for example when making way. On-load release is protected by a hydrostatic interlock and a breakable cover so that nobody can trigger it by accident.

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