Life-saving appliances: on-load release gear maintenance under MSC.402(96)

Uncontrolled operation of lifeboat on-load release hooks remains a recurring cause of crew injury. A reminder of the mandatory servicing regime and the 2025 free-fall test amendment.

Uncontrolled operation of lifeboat on-load release hooks remains a recurring cause of crew injury during drills. IMO Resolution MSC.402(96), mandatory since 1 January 2020 under SOLAS regulations III/20 and III/36, sets uniform standards for the maintenance, thorough examination, operational testing, overhaul and repair of lifeboats, rescue boats, launching appliances and release gear.

Servicing responsibilities: weekly and monthly inspections by trained shipboard personnel under a senior officer per the maker's manual; an annual thorough examination and operational test by certified manufacturer or authorized service-provider personnel; and a five-yearly overhaul that includes dismantling the hook release units and an overload test at 1.1 times the craft's mass, witnessed by a Recognized Organization surveyor.

Critical safety rule: never adjust or maintain release gear while the hooks are under load. For davit-launched boats, on-load release is tested with the boat partially waterborne so its mass is carried on the falls and the hydrostatic interlock is not defeated. A "fit for purpose" statement, with valid personnel and provider certificates, must follow every thorough examination, overhaul or repair.

2025 update: at its 11th session (SSE 11, February 2025) the IMO sub-committee finalised draft amendments adding a mandatory annual test of free-fall lifeboat release systems under load without launching the boat, together with tighter equipment-identification definitions; approval and adoption are progressing through MSC 110 / 111.