Life-saving appliances and arrangements: Chapter III
What the exam tests
Chapter III questions test LSA carriage, launching, maintenance and drill records. Instrumentation appears in lifeboat release gear, lifejacket lights, SART/EPIRB stowage, and alarm or communication arrangements for survival craft.
Core rules
LSA must be approved, marked, and in the correct quantity for the ship's complement and voyage. Lifeboats need capacity, fuel, starting arrangements, and on-load release gear that is properly maintained. Inflatable liferafts are serviced at the interval set by the Administration and manufacturer, normally annually. Lifeboat wire falls are turned end-for-end at 30 months and renewed at five years unless the Administration accepts another scheme. Weekly inspections and monthly drills are recorded. A drill is required within 24 hours of leaving port if more than 25% of the crew has changed since the last drill. Immersion suits, lifejackets, lifebuoys, pyrotechnics, and survival-craft radios must match the carriage table.
Worked example
A ship sails with 40 crew, and 12 joined after the last abandon-ship drill. Because 12 is more than 25% of 40, the master must hold an abandon-ship drill within 24 hours of leaving port. The drill record should note the date, participants, lifeboat launched or simulated, and any defects. A missing lifejacket light or expired pyrotechnic is a defect, not a paperwork issue.
Traps
Do not count a drill held before the crew change. Do not accept an expired liferaft service sticker. Do not confuse the five-year fall renewal with the 30-month end-for-end turn. Do not stow the SART where it cannot be reached after abandonment.