PSC deficiency code 11110: Stowage and provision of liferafts

Code 11110 is about where the liferafts are and whether there are enough of them: cradles and securing, the float-free path, access, and total capacity against the people on board. The raft itself, with its service and HRU, is code 11108. The inspector's doubt is whether everyone could get into a raft, or whether a raft would float clear if the ship went down.

What the inspector looks at

Most of this is checked on deck with the record of equipment in hand.

• raft capacity on each side, compared with the record of equipment and the persons on board
• easy transfer between sides on a single open deck, where the ship relies on it
• the cradle and its securing: lashings, slip hook, release, corrosion of the stand
• a clear float-free path, with no structure, cargo or rigging above the raft
• the forward or aft liferaft on long cargo ships, and how it's secured
• access to the raft and the embarkation point, plus signs and launching instructions

Common findings

• Liferaft lashing painted over, release cannot be operated
• Liferaft cradle heavily corroded
• Float-free path obstructed by cargo
• Liferaft capacity on each side less than persons on board
• Forward liferaft not stowed as required
• Launching instructions and IMO signs not posted
• Access to liferaft obstructed by stores

The rule behind it

SOLAS chapter III, regulation 13 sets out how survival craft are stowed: readily available, protected from damage as far as practicable and, for liferafts, with float-free arrangements so the raft floats free and inflates automatically. Regulation 31 sets survival craft provision on cargo ships, including liferaft capacity per side and an extra liferaft as far forward or aft as is reasonable where the nearest survival craft is more than 100 m from the stem or stern. The LSA Code, chapter IV, covers the float-free arrangement.

Action codes you are likely to see

Paint on a lashing or a missing sign can be dealt with on the spot and marked 10. A badly corroded cradle often gets 17, or 15 or 16 if the raft is still secure and the officer accepts a later repair. The IMO list of detainable deficiencies includes absence, insufficient capacity or serious deterioration of survival craft, so too little raft capacity for the people on board, or a raft that couldn't be released, may be treated as a ground for detention (30). See action taken codes.

How to close it

Chip paint off lashings and releases, renew corroded cradle parts and clear anything over the float-free path. If capacity falls short, bring an extra approved raft on board or reduce the persons on board to what the craft cover. Keep photos, the delivery note for any extra raft and the updated record of equipment with the Form B. Related: inflatable liferafts, launching arrangements for survival craft and lifejackets.