THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA Marine Notice

LIBERIA MARITIME AUTHORITY

SAF-005
Office of Rev. 07/20
Deputy Commissioner
of Maritime Affairs

TO: ALL SHIPOWNERS, OPERATORS, MASTERS AND OFFICERS OF

MERCHANT SHIPS, AGENTS AND RECOGNIZED ORGANIZATIONS

SUBJECT: Survival Craft, Rescue Boat and Launching Appliances - Testing, Servicing
and Maintenance

Reference: (a) Maritime Regulation 2.35

(b) Maritime Regulation 10.296 (5)
(c) SOLAS 1974, Chapter III
(d) International Life-Saving Appliances (LSA Code), as amended
(e) Resolution MSC.402(96)
(f) Resolution MSC.404(96)

Supersedes: Marine Notice SAF-005, dated 06/12

The following changes have been included:

a. Amends the SUBJECT to include rescue boats and launching appliances;
b. Revises BACKGROUND and section 4.0 on the requirements for conducting
inspection and servicing of lifeboats, launching appliances and release mechanisms.

PURPOSE:

This Notice provides guidance on inspection, servicing and maintenance of survival craft,
rescue boat and launching appliances aboard Liberian flagged vessels.

BACKGROUND:
Following several accident, injuries and deaths involving lifeboats and lifesaving appliances,
the International Maritime Organization identified the following as causes for these accidents,
identifying areas where special attention must be paid:
 Failure of release mechanism;
 Inadvertent operation of release mechanism;
 Inadequate maintenance of lifeboats, survival craft, launching appliances and release gear;
 Communication failure;
 Lack of familiarity with the lifeboats, launching appliances, equipment and associated
controls;
 Unsafe practices during lifeboat drills and inspections; and
 Design faults other than release mechanism.

1 of 9
Inquiries concerning the subject of this Notice should be directed to the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Republic of
Liberia, the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry, 22980 Indian Creek Drive., Suite 200, Dulles, VA 20166, USA.
The most current version of all Marine Notices are available in the Online Library at: http://www.liscr.com
Several accidents have been related to defective lifeboat on load release hooks. As a result, IMO’s
Maritime Safety Committee adopted IMO Resolution MSC.317 (89), which added paragraph 5
to SOLAS III/1 requiring that lifeboat release mechanisms not complying with the new LSA
requirements found in reference (d) shall be replaced by the first scheduled dry docking after 1
July 2014, but no later than 1 July 2019. The Maritime Safety Committee adopted amendments
to the LSA Code; amending paragraph 4.4.7.6 related to the requirements for releasing
mechanisms of lifeboats launched by a fall or falls to require new subparagraphs .2 to .6
representing important safety improvements of the release mechanism.

In the interim, to help protect the seafarer from injury due to defective on load release hooks,
IMO developed MSC.1/Circ. 1327, recommending the use of Fall Preventer Devices (FPD)
when needed. See paragraph 4.4 of this Marine Notice for additional guidance.
IMO Resolution MSC.404(96) adopted amendments to regulations SOLAS Chapters III/3 and
III/20, concerning maintenance, thorough examination, operational testing, overhaul and repair of
lifeboats and rescue boats, launching appliances and release gear. Upon entry into force of the
amendments on 1 January 2020, the maintenance, thorough examination, operational testing,
overhaul and repair shall be carried out in accordance with the Requirements for maintenance,
thorough examination, operational testing, overhaul and repair of lifeboats and rescue boats,
launching appliances and release gear ("the Requirements") in Resolution MSC.402(96).

APPLICABILITY:

This Notice applies to Owners, Masters, Ships Officers, Nautical Inspectors, Service Providers
and authorized Recognized Organization (RO) (the vessel's Classification Society which has been
recognized and authorized to act on behalf of the Liberian Administration), when performing
maintenance, surveys and conducting drills on board Liberian flagged vessels.

REQUIREMENTS:

1.0 Certification

1.1 All Survival Craft are to be reviewed for compliance with the appropriate SOLAS regulations
and acceptability by the Recognized Organization of the vessel at the time of installation and
their condition verified at all subsequent safety equipment surveys. Any substandard or
unapproved appliance or equipment is to be replaced. All survival craft are to be equipped
as prescribed in SOLAS 74, as amended and complying with the requirements of the LSA
Code, as amended.

1.2 Survival craft approved by a major maritime authority, such as the USCG, UKMCA, and the
Ministries of Transport or Maritime Directorates of Japan, France, Italy, Germany, Norway,
Korea, China, Russian Federation, Canada, Australia, Brazil or by an IACS member,
recognized by Liberia, on behalf of a national maritime authority are acceptable for vessels
registered with the Republic of Liberia. The Administration will also accept equipment that
has been certified under the EU Marine Equipment Directive by an IACS Member.

1.3 Manufacturers of lifesaving appliances are responsible for ensuring that the standards of life
saving appliances and arrangements are in accordance with the requirements of the LSA
Code, as amended and for providing documentation that these standards are met.

1.4 Lifesaving appliances installed before 01 July 1999, which were manufactured and tested in
SAF-005 2 of 9 Rev. 07/20
The Republic of Liberia
 accordance with previous SOLAS Convention requirements and recommendations on testing
of life-saving appliances may continue to be used as long as it remains in serviceable
condition.

1.5 Testing of life saving appliances installed on or after 1 July 1999 are required to meet the
requirements in IMO Resolution MSC.81 (70), as amended.

1.6 Testing of life saving appliances installed after 1 July 2010 are required to meet the
requirements in reference (c) above.

2.0 Servicing of inflatable survival craft, marine evacuation systems and repair of inflated
rescue boats

2.1 Inflatable life rafts, marine evacuation systems are to be serviced at approved servicing
stations meeting the requirements in Resolution A.761(18) as amended. Such
servicing facilities that are approved by a State which is Party to reference (c), and
acceptable to the vessel Recognized Organization or servicing facilities that have been
approved by a Liberian Recognized Organization on behalf of a Party to the reference
(c) are acceptable to the Administration, provided, the approvals are in compliance with
reference (c). Vessel Owners and Agents should consult closely with their Recognized
Organization when selecting a service station to ensure that it meets the requirements of
the applicable rules.
2.2 Inflatable life rafts, and marine evacuation systems: As Liberia has implemented
Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC) for ships registered under the
Liberian flag and in pursuance of the HSSC's objectives to "simplify survey requirements,
thereby reducing the burden on Administrations, operators of ships and the crews of ships"
as outlined in MSC/Circ.955 the servicing intervals of inflatable life rafts and marine
evacuation systems for ships may be in concert with the terms of the HSSC annual, periodical
and renewal survey stipulated in the 1988 SOLAS Protocol notwithstanding regulation
III/20.8 of the 1974 SOLAS Convention, as amended, which requires inflatable liferafts and
marine evacuation systems to be serviced at intervals not exceeding 12 months.

Therefore, the annual servicing interval may be carried out up to -/+ 3 months of the due date
for a ship implementing the HSSC and extended to 17 months for a ship not implementing
the HSSC, where it is impracticable to carry out the service.

In all cases a dispensation is required from the Administration when servicing of inflatable
life rafts and/or marine evacuation systems will exceed the 12-month period.

2.3 Inflatable rescue boats: All repairs and maintenance of inflated rescue boats shall be carried
out in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Emergency repairs may be carried
out on board the ship; however, permanent repairs shall be effected at an approved servicing
station.

2.4 Hydrostatic release units: Hydrostatic release units other than disposable units shall be
serviced annually at a servicing station that is competent to service them. Notwithstanding
regulation III/20.9 of the 1974 SOLAS Convention, the annual servicing interval may be
carried out up to -/+ 3 months of the due date for a cargo ship. Disposable units shall be
replaced when required.

SAF-005 3 of 9 Rev. 07/20

The Republic of Liberia
2.5 Inflatable life rafts on Passenger Vessels: The Office of the Deputy Commissioner
recognizes that annual servicing of the large numbers of life rafts required for passenger ships
may impose unnecessary difficulties due to their unique voyage conditions. The Office of
the Deputy Commissioner therefore approves the servicing of liferafts in smaller manageable
groups throughout the certification year. However, each liferaft, must be serviced by its
servicing date so that no unit will be beyond the 12 month servicing interval at the time of
renewal of the Passenger Ship Safety Certificate.

3.0 Liferafts

3.1 Capacity:
.1 Where the ship is provided with totally enclosed lifeboats on each side, then the life rafts
required under regulation III/31.1.1.2 of reference (c), accommodating the total number
of persons on board and are each of a mass less than 185 kg, may be stowed at a position
providing for easy side-to-side transfer on a single open deck level. Where appropriate,
portable guard rails or bulwarks should be provided to facilitate launching.

.2 Where the ship is fitted with a single free-fall lifeboat launched from the stern, then the
life rafts required under SOLAS III/31.1.2.2 capable of accommodating the total number
of persons on board shall be carried on each side of the ship. The life rafts on at least
one side of the ship shall be served by launching appliances.

3.2 Embarkation:
.3 The acceptable means of embarkation for remotely located liferafts shall meet the
requirements for an embarkation ladder found in 6.1.6 of reference (d). Particular care
should be given to their accessibility when deck cargoes are carried. The Administration
may accept a similar system on a case by case basis if it provides similar safety features
as an embarkation ladder. If necessary, the Administration will grant dispensations to
existing vessels to give additional time to comply with this requirement.

.4 A knotted rope is not accepted as a means of enabling descent to the water in a controlled
manner for embarkation of remotely located survival craft. This is applicable to both
new ships and to existing ships.

3.3 Life rafts for Ro/Ro Passenger vessels: Effective 1 January 2010, the existing paragraph 2.5
of regulation III/26 of reference (c) is replaced by the following: "Life rafts carried on Ro-
Ro passenger ships shall be fitted with a search and rescue locating device in the ratio of one
search and rescue locating device for every four life rafts. The search and rescue locating
device shall be mounted inside the life raft so its antenna is more than one meter above the
sea level when the life raft is deployed, except that for canopied reversible life rafts the search
and rescue locating device shall be so arranged as to be readily accessed and erected by
survivors. Each search and rescue locating device shall be arranged to be manually erected
when the life raft is deployed. Containers of life rafts fitted with search and rescue locating
devices shall be clearly marked."

4.0 Maintenance of Lifeboats, rescue boats, launching appliances and release mechanisms

4.1 The maintenance, thorough examination, operational testing, overhaul and repair of lifeboats and
rescue boats, launching appliances and release mechanisms shall be conducted in accordance

SAF-005 4 of 9 Rev. 07/20

The Republic of Liberia
 with the requirements in Resolution MSC.402(96) and the instructions for
onboard maintenance as required by regulation 36 of reference (c).

.1 Weekly and monthly inspections and routine maintenance as specified in the equipment
maintenance manual(s), shall be conducted by authorized service providers, or by
shipboard personnel under the direction of a senior ship's officer in accordance with the
manufacturer’s maintenance manual(s).

.2 As of 01 January 2020 the annual servicing and five yearly thorough examination of
lifeboats, rescue boats, and the associated launching appliances including the releasing
mechanisms shall be carried out by service providers that have been authorized by the
Administration for each make and model in accordance with Res. MSC
402(96). Authorizations previously provided to third party lifeboat service
providers under Annex I of MSC.1 Circ. 1206/Rev.1 is no longer permitted.

.3 Annual thorough examination and operational testing shall be carried out by certified
personnel employed by the manufacturer, or service providers authorized by the
Administration in accordance with Resolution MSC 402(96).

.4 Five-year thorough examination, any overhaul, overload operational tests, as described

in section 6.3, of Resolution MSC.402(96), and repair shall be conducted by
certified personnel of either the manufacturer or a service provider
authorized by the Administration The five year thorough examination, any
overhaul, overload operational tests test must always be conducted in the presence of
a class surveyor no matter who conducts it.

4.2 In order to receive authorization from the Administration the lifeboat service providers must
obtain an Authorization Document from the Administration. Lifeboat service providers
desiring to be authorized should submit to the Administration the documents required
under Marine Operations Note 3-2019 for review and issuance of an Authorization
Document.
4.3 In cases where a ship is in a port where there is no lifeboat service provider that holds
authorization from the manufacturer(s) of the lifeboat equipment for that make and model on
the vessel the Administration will, on a case by case basis, authorize a third party service
provider if:

.1 Evidence is provided that no manufacturer authorized service provider is available (i.e.

statement /correspondence from the manufacturer or the ship’s classification society).

.2 The nominated third party facility has been issued an Authorization Document by
Liberia.

.3 The nominated third party service provider provides evidence of previous servicing of
the manufacturer’s equipment, such as copies of previous reports of servicing the
equipment on any vessel, copies of previous acceptance messages/letters from Liberia
authorizing servicing of the manufacturer’s equipment prior to 01 January 2020, copies
of service engineers training certificates indicating that the service engineer has been or
was previously trained on the servicing of the equipment.

4.4 When any lifeboat is damaged and declared unseaworthy or is found in need of repair and
no replacement boat is readily available, life raft(s) with aggregate capacity at least equal to
that of the lifeboat may be substituted, as a temporary measure, but only with specific
SAF-005 5 of 9 Rev. 07/20
The Republic of Liberia
 approval of the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, provided the minimum survival craft
capacity prescribed by reference (c) is maintained. These temporary measures will be limited
to the minimum period of time required for replacement and, in general, will not exceed three
(3) months.

4.5 FPD’s can be used to minimize the risk of injury or death by providing a secondary alternate
load path in the event of failure of the release mechanism or its accidental release. However,
FPDs should not be regarded as a substitute for a safe release mechanism. In the interest of
safety to vessel crews, the Liberian Administration requires the use of FPDs on vessels
fitted with non-compliant lifeboat release mechanisms in accordance with MSC.1/Circ.
1327, until such time as the release mechanism has either been found to be in
compliance with the requirements of paragraph 4.4.7.6 of reference (d), or has been
replaced with a compliant system.

4.6 Launching appliances shall be:

.1 subject to a thorough examinations at the annual surveys required by regulations 1/7 and
1/8 of reference (c), as applicable, and

.2 upon completion of the examination referred to above, subjected to a dynamic test of the
winch brake at maximum lowering speed. The load to be applied shall be:

.1 the mass of the survival craft or rescue boat without persons on board,

.2 except that, at intervals of at least once every five years, the test shall be carried out
with a proof load equal to 1.1 times the weight of the survival craft or rescue boat
and its full complement of persons and equipment.

4.7 Lifeboat and rescue boat release gear, including fast rescue boat release gear and free-fall
lifeboat release systems, shall be:

.1 subject to a thorough examination and operational test during the annual surveys
required by regulations 1/7 and 1/8 of reference (c);

.2 in case of on-load release gear, operationally tested under a load of 1.1 times the
total mass of the boat when loaded with its full complement of persons and
equipment whenever the release gear is overhauled. Such overhauling and
operational test shall be carried out at least once every five years; and

.3 notwithstanding paragraph 4.7.2 above, the operational testing of free-fall lifeboat

release systems shall be performed either by free fall launch with only the operating
crew on board or by a test without launching the lifeboat carried out based on the
requirements in Resolution MSC. 402(96).

4.8 Davit-launched liferaft automatic release hooks shall be:

.1 subject to a thorough examination and operational test during the annual surveys
required by regulations 1/7 and 1/8 of reference (c); and

SAF-005 6 of 9 Rev. 07/20

The Republic of Liberia
 .2 operationally tested under a load of 1.1 times the total mass of the liferaft when
loaded with its full complement of persons and equipment whenever the automatic
release hook is overhauled. Such overhauling and operational test shall be carried
out at least once every five years.

4.9 Lifeboats and rescue boats, including fast rescue boats, shall be subject to a thorough
examination and operational test during the annual surveys required by regulations 1/7
and 1/8 of reference (c).

5.0 Lifeboat Air Support Systems

5.1 In accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and guidelines, the air support system
shall be subject to periodic inspection carried out by the vessel's crew on a monthly basis as
required by Regulation 20.7 of reference (c).

5.2 All lifeboat air support systems and bottles shall be examined at least annually by the
attending class society surveyor as part of the annual statutory survey for the Safety
Equipment Certificate (SEC) or MODU Code certificate.

5.3 If the air pressure in the bottles should fall below ten percent (10%) of the normal full level
air pressure, then the air bottles should be recharged in accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions and guidelines. The air bottle can only be recharged on board from an air
compressor that has been certified for providing air that is fit for human consumption. When
applicable, the on board air supply air recharging systems should be checked for air quality
as part of the annual statutory survey for the SEC or MODU Code certificate. If the ship is
not equipped with such an air compressor then the bottle must be sent ashore to an authorized
service facility for recharging or exchange.

5.4 Hydrostatic testing of lifeboat air support bottles shall be carried out once every five years
or in accordance with the recommendations of the bottle manufacturer whichever is due the
earliest. The air support bottles shall also be hydrostatically tested prior to refilling a bottle
that has been discharged. The hydrostatic test date must be permanently marked on the
bottles or, if the bottles are made of a material that cannot be stamped with the date, a tag
indicating the hydrostatic test date should be securely attached to the bottles. Intervals for
hydrostatically testing cylinders of the ultra-lightweight type may vary and will depend upon
the requirements of the cylinder manufacturer and the vessel’s Recognized
Organization. Servicing of the cylinders must be performed to the satisfaction of the
Recognized Organization surveyor.

5.5 The accuracy of the primary pressure gauge and secondary air pressure gauge shall be
verified at least once every five years or in accordance with the recommendations of the
bottle manufacturers whichever comes first. Verification of the gauges shall be performed
to the satisfaction of the Recognized Organization surveyor.

6.0 Manuals

6.1 The Administration encourages owners/managers to develop user-friendly manuals for

operation and maintenance of lifeboat systems including launching appliances. These
manuals should be easy to understand and reflect the equipment used on board the ship. The
use of video materials in conjunction with printed manuals can be an effective tool.

SAF-005 7 of 9 Rev. 07/20

The Republic of Liberia
6.2 The manual for a lifeboat system including launching appliance should be developed with
the collaboration of manufacturers of the lifeboat and the launching appliance and preferably
be a single document.
.1 The operation and maintenance manual for a lifeboat system may contain the
following information:

a. General
b. Method of checking proper closure of release hooks
c. Launching operation
 Preparation before launching
 Setting painter
 Release of safety pin for winch hand brake lever
 Release of davit arm stop
 Boarding the lifeboat
 Launching procedure
 Release gear operation
 Painter release and lifeboat operation
d. Recovery operation
 Resetting procedure of release hook
 Recovery procedure
 Stowage procedure
e. On-load/off-load release gear system
 General
 Fore and aft hook units
 Release handle unit
 Hydrostatic interlock unit
f. Inspection and maintenance
 General precautions
 Inspection and maintenance of lifeboat and release gear system
 Inspection and maintenance of launching appliances (davits and
winches).

7.0 General Safety Precautions Concerning Lifeboats

7.1 It is of the utmost importance that the officers and crewmembers are familiar with and
confident that they will be able to safely use the lifesaving apparatus.

7.2 When servicing davits in the stowed position, the Harbor Safety Pins or other similar Safety
devices shall be in place to ensure the davits cannot be accidentally moved.

7.3 When personnel are in the stowed lifeboats, the hanging-off pendants should be used to
prevent the boat from being accidentally released and dropped from the releasing gear.

7.4 All launching apparatus should receive regular maintenance by persons who are familiar with
and able to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

7.5 Checklists should be developed and used to ensure that all safety precautions are in place
before personnel perform maintenance or inspections.

SAF-005 8 of 9 Rev. 07/20

The Republic of Liberia
7.6 Checklists should be developed and used to ensure that standard safety precautions and
operating procedures are followed including proper stowing/securing after use.

7.7 No additional securing arrangements should be used which are not included in the
lowering/free-fall instructions except for additional securing devices during extreme heavy
weather, which must be removed as soon as the weather moderates.
These standard procedures should be included in each vessel’s safety management system as
applicable.

* * * * *

SAF-005 9 of 9 Rev. 07/20

The Republic of Liberia