At its 111th session held from 13 to 22 May 2026, approved revised guidelines on safety during abandon ship drills using lifeboats.
The amendments follow changes to the International Life-Saving Appliance (LSA) Code adopted through resolution MSC.589(111), particularly regarding arrangements for testing free-fall lifeboat release systems under load without launching the lifeboat into the water.
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The revised guidelines build on a series of measures developed by the MSC over the past two decades to reduce the risk of accidents during lifeboat drills and improve the safe conduct of abandon ship exercises.
Operators are invited to implement the revised guidance and bring it to the attention of shipowners, ship operators, ship-vetting organizations, seafarers, surveyors, manufacturers and other relevant stakeholders.
As per MSC.1/Circ.1578/Rev.1, the revised IMO guidelines emphasize that seafarers must be familiar with the life-saving appliances provided on board and have confidence that this equipment will operate effectively in an emergency.
Regular shipboard drills are therefore essential to build competence, improve familiarity with safety equipment and strengthen the crew’s ability to respond effectively to an emergency.
Onboard drills and training supplement initial shore-based training by familiarizing crew members with ship-specific appliances and procedures. Their primary objective should be to develop the competencies required for the safe and effective use of equipment mandated under SOLAS. Meeting the SOLAS time limits for ship abandonment should be regarded as a secondary objective when conducting drills.
Drill frequency
Frequent drills help crews become familiar with onboard life-saving appliances and increase confidence in their operation during an emergency. They also provide practical experience in using safety equipment collectively and improve the crew’s ability to manage emergency situations.
However, frequent crew changes can make it difficult to ensure that everyone on board participates when only the minimum required drills are conducted. Drills should therefore be scheduled, where necessary, to give all personnel an early opportunity to become familiar with the ship’s appliances, systems and emergency procedures.
Drills must be safe
Abandon ship drills should be planned, organized and carried out in accordance with relevant occupational safety and health requirements, with the aim of minimizing identified risks.
Drills also provide an opportunity to verify that life-saving appliances are operational and that associated equipment is correctly positioned, in good working order and ready for use.
Before a drill begins, the lifeboat and its equipment should be checked to confirm that they have been maintained in accordance with the ship’s maintenance manuals and relevant technical documentation.
All necessary precautionary measures should also be taken, while any abnormal wear, damage or corrosion should immediately be reported to the responsible officer.
Emphasis on learning
The IMO stresses that drills should be treated as learning experiences rather than simply as exercises carried out to meet regulatory requirements.
Whether they are emergency drills required under SOLAS or additional exercises designed to strengthen crew competence, they should always be conducted at a safe pace.
Crew members should be given sufficient opportunity to familiarize themselves with their duties and the relevant equipment, with pauses introduced where necessary to explain particularly difficult elements.
The experience level of the crew should also be considered when determining how quickly a drill, or specific parts of it, should be conducted.
Planning and organizing drills
SOLAS requires drills to be conducted, as far as practicable, as though an actual emergency were taking place. However, safety must remain paramount throughout the exercise. Elements that could create unnecessary risks require particular attention and may need to be excluded from the drill.
Before conducting an exercise, those responsible should review the manufacturer’s instruction manual and ensure that the crew is familiar with the guidance contained in the relevant life-saving appliance manuals.
Lessons learned during drills should be documented and incorporated into follow-up training discussions and the planning of subsequent exercises.
The lowering of a lifeboat with its full complement of persons is cited as an example of an activity that may, depending on the circumstances, expose participants to unnecessary risk. Such drills should only be undertaken when appropriate special precautions are in place.
Abandon ship drills
Crew members responsible for operating safety equipment should be fully familiar with its function and operation. SOLAS requires sufficiently detailed manufacturers’ training manuals and instructions to be carried on board, easily understood by the crew and accessible to everyone. These instructions should be closely followed when preparing for and conducting drills.
Shipowners should also ensure that:
- New safety equipment installed on board has been approved and fitted in accordance with SOLAS and the International Life-Saving Appliance (LSA) Code.
- Procedures for conducting safe drills are incorporated into the company’s Safety Management System (SMS).
- Detailed procedures for drill elements involving particular risks are supported by workplace risk assessments appropriate to the relevant life-saving appliance.
- Personnel responsible for lifeboat maintenance and repair are appropriately qualified.
Lifeboats lowered by means of falls
During drills, all participants should remain alert to potentially dangerous conditions or situations and immediately bring them to the attention of the person responsible so that appropriate action can be taken.
Feedback and recommendations provided to the shipowner, Administration and equipment manufacturer form an important part of the wider marine safety system.
Where drills are conducted with people on board the lifeboat, the IMO recommends first lowering and recovering the boat without anyone on board to verify that the system functions correctly. The boat should then be lowered into the water carrying only the minimum number of people needed to operate it.
Before swinging out the davit, the proper release of lashings or gripes should also be checked to prevent entanglement.
Free-fall lifeboats
Monthly drills involving free-fall lifeboats should be carried out in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Personnel expected to enter the lifeboat during an emergency should be trained to embark safely, take their seats correctly, use their safety belts and understand how to act during an actual launch into the sea.
Where a free-fall lifeboat is launched as part of a drill, only the minimum personnel required to manoeuvre the boat in the water and recover it should be on board.
Particular attention should be given to the recovery operation because of the high level of risk involved.
Where simulated launching is permitted under SOLAS, it should be conducted in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.