MISCELLANEOUS

• Embarkation ladders shall be provided in one length from the deck to the waterline in the lightest seagoing condition under unfavorable conditions of trim and with the ship listed not less than 200  either way. 
• Handholds shall be provided to ensure a safe passage from the deck to the head of the ladder and vice versa. 
• Made of hardwood free from knots or other irregularities.
• Provided with an efficient non-slip surface either by longitudinal grooving or by the application of an approved non-slip coating.
• The dimension of the steps should be not less than 480 millimeters long, 115 millimeters wide, and 25 millimeters in depth, excluding any non-slip surface or coating.
• Equally spaced, not less than 300 millimeters or more than 380 millimeters apart, and secured in such a manner that they will remain horizontal.
• The side ropes of the ladder shall consist of two uncovered manila ropes not less than 65 millimeters in circumference on each side. 
• Ropes are to be continuous with no joints.

• A lifeboat is a survival craft used for sustaining the lives of a person in case of an abandon ship.
• Survival craft include lifeboat and life raft, but do not include rescue boat.
• A lifeboat designated as a rescue boat is not a survival craft.

Found mainly on passenger ships

• Capable of deployment by one person.
• Transfer the total number of persons for which it is designed within 30 min in a passenger ship & 10 min in a cargo ship.
• Capable of being deployed in trim up to 10° & list up to 20°
• Designed to remain effective under icing conditions.

It provides specific technical requirements for manufacturing, testing, maintenance, and record-keeping of life-saving appliances.

Chapter I: General

Chapter II: Personal life-saving appliances

Chapter III: Visual signals

Chapter IV: Survival craft

Chapter V: Rescue boat

Chapter VI: Launching and embarkation appliance

Chapter VII: Other life-saving appliances.

Weekly maintenance

• Visual inspection of survival craft, rescue boat, and launching appliances includes the condition of hooks, release handles, etc.
• Engines shall be run for a total period of not less than 3 minutes.
• Lifeboats, except free-fall lifeboats, should be moved from their stowed position without any persons on board.
• The general emergency alarm system should be tested.

 Monthly maintenance

• Moving parts should be free to turn and should be greased
• Visual checks of immersion suit
• Lifeboats, except free-fall lifeboats, shall be turned out from their stowed position without any persons on board. This shall be done without any persons on board the lifeboat, subject to conducive weather/sea conditions. Records shall be maintained. 
• Verification of satisfactory condition of lifeboat equipment.
• Greasing of liferaft’s senhouse slip

Quarterly Inspections

• Except for freefall lifeboats, each lifeboat shall be launched and manoeuvred in the water with its assigned operating crew at least once in three months during an abandon ship drill. The lifeboat shall be launched with only operating personnel, not with other complements. Records shall be maintained.
• Immersion suit, if fitted, the head support/buoyancy ring should be inflated and tested for leaks.

Annual Inspections

• Lifeboat and launching appliances are subject to a thorough examination annually (Scope of SEQ survey). After the thorough exam, a dynamic winch brake test (without compliments) shall be carried out by the maker’s authorized personnel or DGS-approved service center.
• Servicing of life raft ashore.
• EPIRBs onboard ships shall undergo an Annual Performance Test in compliance with SOLAS Ch. IV Reg. 15. This test shall be carried out by the SRC anniversary date (±3 months).
  The test may be carried out onboard or ashore by an approved Service Centre.
• The SART may be tested on board the ship for its physical parameters and its signal strength by the inspecting authority at least once in a year.