Lifeboat Release Hooks: Why They Still Fail Inspections
The 2019 SOLAS deadline forced a fleet-wide swap of lifeboat on-load release hooks. Years on, they still trigger detentions. What inspectors check, and why.
SOLAS
The IMO FSS Code: A Practical Compliance Guide for Shipowners
The IMO Fire Safety Systems Code is the detailed technical rulebook that turns SOLAS Chapter II-2 fire protection obligations into specific performance, installation, testing, and maintenance requirements that surveyors, class societies, and flag states can verify. For shipowners, understanding what the Code requires in practice, and where compliance most commonly breaks down, is essential for survey readiness, PSC performance, and crew safety.
Lifeboat Systems: Types, Release Mechanisms & SOLAS Requirements Explained
Modern SOLAS-compliant lifeboats are engineered systems, not simply evacuation boats. Understanding their types, launching mechanisms, and regulatory requirements is essential for shipowners, operators, and safety management professionals. Improper testing, misaligned interlocks, and poor crew familiarity with release procedures are consistently among the most common causes of life-saving appliance deficiencies in PSC inspections.
SOLAS Compliance for Life-Saving Appliances: What Ship Operators Get Wrong
SOLAS life-saving appliance requirements are among the most detailed and most frequently deficient areas in port state control inspections worldwide. The gap between what operators think they are doing and what the Convention actually requires is wider than most realise.
Liferaft Servicing: Why Delays Are Dangerous & Best Practice for Shipowners
A liferaft is the last line of defence for crew survival when abandoning ship. Yet schedule pressure and misplaced cost-consciousness routinely lead to delayed or inadequate servicing, creating silent, ship-wide risk that remains invisible until the moment it cannot be afforded. Understanding why on-time servicing is non-negotiable is fundamental to sound safety management.
How to Ensure Your Lifeboat and Davit Systems Are Ready for Emergency Deployment
Most lifeboat and davit failures are not design flaws. They are the result of deferred maintenance, superficial inspections, and crews unfamiliar with the systems they are expected to operate under the worst possible conditions. Here is how to close those gaps before they matter.