BUILDING TRUST. SHAPING SAFETY
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Technical Notices

IMO MSC.1-Circ.1578 Guidelines on safety during abandon ship drills using lifeboats

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IMO re-issued a circular MSC.1/Circ.1578 on Guidelines on safety during abandon ship drills using lifeboats on 14 Jul 2021, with the corrected reference to SOLAS regulation III/19.3.4.4 in footnote 4, as attached. This circular supersedes annex 2 to MSC.1/Circ.1206/Rev.1.

Lifeboat incidents occur most often during training and drills and involve not just the hooks, but also the entire lifeboat release and retrieval system (LRRS), including wires, gripes and pennants.

Identified causes of lifeboat incidents include:

  • lack of adequate training and knowledge;
  • unfamiliarity with equipment;
  • inadequate risk assessment and planning;
  • systems that are not yet modified in accordance with SOLAS Reg III/1.5;
  • systems with design issues;
  • incorrectly and poorly maintained systems;
  • communication problems;
  • complacency and failure to follow safety procedures.

Analysis of case studies shows that almost all of the incidents involved qualified seafarers. It is essential that lessons learned are passed on both to those serving at sea and to management ashore. It should ensure that appropriate on board procedures and training are applied and followed.

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