MS notice No.08 of 2025 - Guidelines for approval of LSA Service Stations for servicing of Inflatable Life Saving Appliances i.e. Inflatable Life Raft. Inflatable Rescue Boat, Inflatable Life Jacket and Immersion Suits and Procedure for approval of Competent Persons for servicing of such LSA

ffi rfl}n ffd qr(d (c6R, GOr/ERl{IEtaT OF ll{DrA qffi, +dqfistrfr(wfir'f {ilmq IiEIrroF PoRIq erFPircArD[ATER A]B ir+fi Ttrfrtartrc,lf€ DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF SHIPPING, MUMBAI Merchant Shiooln Notice 08 of 2025 File No: 25-2701l/l /202I-NT - DGS (C-No/8208) Date: 12.09.2025 Subject: Guidelines for anoroval of LSA Se Stations for servicins of lnflatable Life Salins Appliances i.e. Inflatable Life Raft. Inflatablc Rescue Boat. lnflatablc Life Jacket and Immersion Suits & Procedure for aDDroval ofComDetent Persons for servicins ofsuch LSA - res, Introduction: l. The Intemational Convention on the Safety oflife at Sea, 1974, as amended, (SOLAS Convention) addresses inter-alia, matters pertaining to life-saving appliances and arrangements on merchant ships, at Chapter III of the said Convention. In India, the compliance with the said requirements ofSafety Convention is addressed by the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, Merchant Shipping (Life Saving Appliances) Rules, l99l and the orders/noticeVcirculars issued by the Directorale General of Shipping (DGS), Govt. of India from time to time. The said rules and circulars ofDGS mandates that inllatable life rafts, inflatable rescue boats and other such inflatable lifesaving appliances shall be serviced in accordance with the relevanl circularVnotice issued by this office and as prescribed by the International Maritime Organization (lMO). 2- T\e Regulation 20 of the SOLAS Convention deals with operational readiness, maintenance, and inspections. Sub-para 8 of the said regulation stipulates the intemational requirements for Servicing of inflatable life rafts, inflatable lifejackets, marine evacuation systems, and mainlenance and repair ofinflated rescue boats. Sub.para 9 ofthe said regulation stipulates the requkements forperiodical servicing ofhydro- static release rmits. Sub-para I I of the regulation prescribes the requirements for maintenance, thorough examination, operational testing, overhaul and repair of lifeboats, rescue boats and fast rescue boats, launching appliances and release gears. 3. The importance of servicing of such Life Saving Appliances (LSA) by the Original Equipment Manufacturers or by the agency duly approved by the OEM on a time-bound manner are pertinent. The Directorate had already issued Merchant shipping Notice No. 0l of2020 dated 06/01i2020 with respect to d {frd, fier Rkq, qd Ri6 28fr Aq(, 6rg(,fis ts, 6igur,f (T{) $q{- oooooz 9tr Floor, BErA Buildlng, l-Think Tecfino Campus, Kanjur Vlllaga Roed, lGnjurmarg (E), MumbaiflO42 Stqnel ilo.' *9r-22-2575MAnB k/Fax.: +el-22-2t5 2O2gB5 t+fr/Emdl: dC8lipao@rlc.h iCSf{e/wbbdt : IYw.de.htpphg.gor.lnmaintenance, repairs and thorough examination of Lifeboats, rescue boats and its launching appliances in accordance with MSC Resolution 402(96). Similarly, it is mandatory that servicing ofinflatable LSAS shall be conducted in accordance with the IMO Assembly Resolution A 761 ( l8) and the applicable Circular of the DGS. Futher, it is essential that the approval process of Life Raft service stations, requirement of sewicing of inflatable LSAs shall also be revised based on the principles applicable for Life Boats and its launching appliances. Therefore, the Directorale in consultation with the stakeholders reviewed all the existing Circulars in line with the intemationally accepted norms. Accordingly., the revised instructions for servicing inflatable LSAs and approval of LSA service stations as stipulated herein below shall be implemented with effect from the dale of issuance ofthe circular. Part-I Approval of Service Station for inflateble LSAs: 4. All the LSA Service stations in India must have a valid approval from the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) for perfonning servicing of inflatable LSAs in accordance with the SOLAS and the IMO Assembly Resolution 4'.761 (18). Only the DGS approved service stations are permitted to carD/ out periodical servicing of LSAs from any Indian ships or foreign ships while in lndian waters. Such service station should meet the applicable IMO guidelines, have a quality standards system, be registered with the local statutory authorities and have competent person for servicing the inflatable lifesaving appliances. Such Competent persor/persons shall be responsible for activities related to servicing of inflatable LSA in that servicing station. 4.1 The LSA service slation and the competent person shatt be issued with the necessary certificate of approval valid for a period of 5 years with ar intermediate verification between 2nd and 3d anniversaqr dates. A new company intends to set up a service station for inflatable LSAs may submit the application to the Nautical Wing of the DGS. Onus of making application foi Initial/Renewal/lntermediate verification is solely on the service station. The jurisdicfional Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) shall carry out the lnitiaVlntermediate/Renewal verification audit ofthe service stations. 4.2 Cenificate of approval of LSA service station (lnitial and Renewal) shall be issued by the Directorate based on the recommendation of the Principal Oflicer of the concemed Mercantile Marine Departrnent (MMD). This process ensures that the servicing ofall the safety equipment meets the required standards and regulations as per IMO & DGS Circulars. 4.3 The approved service station and the competent persons shall route their submission through the Directorate General of Shipping for the renewal of stated certification confirming continued compliance with the applicable IMO and DGS Circular. 4.4 The Competent Person shall be attached to a particular Service Station, duly approved by this Directorate and Name of the competent person shall reflect on the concemed Service Station Approval, issued by the Directorate.Authorization for Servicing of Inflatable LSAs by the Service Stations: 5. Considering the fact that different make ofLSAs are being used on the ships, increasing number of ports on the Indian Coast, the availability ofOEM authorized sewice stations and to meet the time bound requirements ofthe shipping industry it has been decided that following principles shall be complied with while carrying out the repair and servicing of various makes of the lifesaving appliances. Henceforth, the servicing ofLSAs shall be canied at service station as under; 5.1 DGS approved service Stations established by the OEM or duly-approved by the concemed Manufacturer of the make and model of the LSA and having appropriately trained, qualified, OEM aulhorized and certified Service Personnel shall carry out the servicilg of LSA in an Indian port where the vessel has offloaded the equipment's. The servicing shall be carried oul in accordance with the prescribed procedures / manual of the OEM and consuming spares of the OEM and/or spares as approved by the OEM. The Competent Person of the Service Station shall issue the Servicing Certificate with a validity of l2 months in normal course, speciSing the OEM Approval Number and validity on the Certificate under the self-certification scheme. Such Certificate must accompany a copy ofa valid OEM Approval at the time ofissuance ofsuch certificate. 5.2 In case the OEM Approved Service Station is not available in the Port, where the LSA has been ofiloaded by the vessel, the Sewicing can be carried out at an OEM Approved Service station at the adjacent Port within the State. 5.3 ln the event that the manufacturers (OEM) or OEM authorized and approved service station is not available in the port and/or in the adjacent port, then other Service Stations, not approved by the OEM but duly approved by this Directorale may carry out the servicing ofLSA at the Port , where the LSA has been offloaded by the Vessel, provided that such Service Station possesses OEM Spares and consumables and having the OEM service manuals. Such service must be witnessed by the Local MMD Surveyor or by a Surveyor of Recognized Organization IRS and the Certificates must be endorsed by the visiting Surveyor oflocal MMD or IRS to ensure compliance with applicable standards. However, an intimation to such effect to be filed before the l,ocal MMD for such servicing activities by the Non-OEM approved Service Station. It is clarified that no prior approval is required for servicing by the Non-OEM approved service station under this para, other than the intimation to the Judsdictional MMD. 5.4 In case ofpassenger Vessels, the Sewicing ofLSA must be witnessed by the Local MMD surveyor and Sewice Certificate must be endomed by the attending MMD Surveyor. 6. The servicing of inflatable LSAs in India for all the ships calling and operating in Indian ports by any entity other than the DGS approved LSA service station shall be prohibited.7. All the DGS approved LSA service stations must maintain Quality Standards System. ln accordance with the Quality Standards System, every approved 'LSA' servicing station shall maintain records of servicing and submit the Quarterly statement of activities to the concerned MMD and to the Directorate. The record shall be updated at the intervals not exceeding one week in case of updating of records in the online portal of DGS, which is being launched shortly. 8. All expired pyrotechnics must b€ disposed in accordance with the guideline under NT Circular 0l of 2015 dated 18.05.2015. Necessary records shall be maintained for the use and disposal of pyrotechnics. Similarly, the service station shall maintain an accurate record of all the consumables such as drinking wate( food rations, frst aid kit etc. which are being replaced/renewed at the time of servicing of LSAs. In case of replacement of any such items, the service station shall handover the full details such as invoice, type apProvayoEM cerlificate of the consumables to the shipowner/manager for record. Use of such consumable items and the pyrotechnics fiom the ship recycling yards is prohibited. These aspects shall be verified by the Mercantile Marine Departrnent (MMD) during the inspection of the service station. 9. All service stations repairing, maintaining, and servicing Life Saving Appliances must have CCTV coverage ofthe premises and record the entLe servicing process, including the handing over of items such as CO, cylinder membranes for refilling. Acopy ofthe recording must be provided to the ship's master, and the service station must retain the recordings for a minimum period ofthree years. These recordings should be made available for inspection whenever required. Service stations that fail to mainrain identifiable records linked to the respeclive appliances and their serial numbers will be suspended without notice. 10. In case of any breach of above instructions or an adverse report about the approval of competent person, service station, the approval of the service station and of competent person may be withdrawn or suspended and such action may invite penal provision in accordance with the provisions under the M.S Act 1958. Part-2: Procedure for approval of competent Persons for servicing of Infl.table Life Saving Equipment's i.e. Inflatable Life Raft, Inflatable Rescue Bort, Inflatable Life Jacket and lmmersion Suits - reg. l. I The SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention, Chapter III focuses on life-saving appliances and arrangements. It mandates that all Iife-saving equipmenl be maintained and serviced by qualihed personnel, implicitly encompassing the concept of Competent Persons. This ensures that those responsible for the upkeep and functioning of safety equipment possess the necessary training and expertise to perform their duties effectively, thereby enhancing the overall safety and preparedness ofvessels at sea. Compliance with these requirements is crucial for safeguarding the lives of crew and passengers in maritime operations. 12. Additionally, MSC.I/Circ.l277 provides guidelines on lhe training and certification of personnel responsible for the maintenance and sewicing oflifeboats and other lifesaving appliances, emphasizing theneed for competence in these critical roles 13. Therefore, the inflatable LSAs shall be serviced in India only by the Competent Persons certified by the DGS. Such certified competent persons can be attached to any one Service Station approved by the DGS. The application for approval of "Competent Persons", to be submitted by any DGS approved LSA Service Station directly to DG Shipping along wilh the Bharatkosh fee receipt as applicable. Upon verification of basic eligibility criteria of the applicant, the Directorate will forward the application to Jurisdictional MMD for assessment of competency of the applicant. The folmat of application and the instructions are given in Annexure A. 14. The approval procedure for Competent Persons shall be solely managed by the jurisdictional Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) and will include both an online or ofiline written examination and a practical examination/demonstration ofcompetencies pertaining to sewicing ofinflatable LSAs. 15. A standardized Multiple-Choice Question (MCQ) test, along with subjective O?e questions will be implemented for the Competent Person examination. It will be followed by the evaluation ofpractical skills in servicing ofinflatable LSAs of the applicant at the service station. 16. The approval of the Competent Person shall be issued by the Directorate based on the recoflrmendation ofthe concemed MMD. This process ensues that all required standards and regulations as per the SOLAS/IMO Guidelines are met. . l'l DG Shipping shall exercise their authority to make necessary amendments to the Approval of Service Station for lnflatable Life Raft, Inflatable Rescue Boat, Inflatable Life Jacket and lmmersion Suits regarding the addition and deletion of Competent PersoDs. The name ofa Competent person should not be included in more than one LSA service station. 18. The minimum criteria ofeducational qualification and experience as prescribed in the following table shall please be followed for considering a Competent Person oflnflatable Life Saving Equipment. Sl. No. Qualilication Experience OEM Training a Possess Bachelor's Minimum 6 months Degree in any in Experience attending Engineering stream or The candidate must possess related freld from any S &e rvi rci eng C- T ee rs tt ii fn icg a - t iR oe np a oir f T frr oai mnin ag a mnd i nce r otif fic a thti ro en e institution recognized by lnflatable Life Rafts & numbers of I the State / Central Govt. Rescue Boats in DG recognized by OE thM e Or Shipping Approved Service Directorate from different Qualified in Marine Station along-with a DGS countries. Approved Engineering Stream (2nd Competent Note: Approval from h\oEngg or MEO Class l) or Person. different OEM from / Master Mariner Chief Should have same countrv will not be serviced Officer COC issued by accepted. minimum of 50 Life rafts DGS or equivalent. and 2 rescue boats during the training period. Possess a B.Sc (Bachelor Minimum 1 Year Experience o sf t rS ecie an mce) D ile og mree in any in Assisting a Competent The candidate must possess any Training and certification Person in Servicing - Testing frcm a min of Institution, recognized by three the State / Central Govt - l nR fe lapa tair b& le r e L C ife ert if Rica ati fo tsn o &f numbers of OEM 2 OR Rescue Boats in DG recognized by the Directorate from different Possess a Diploma in any Shipping Approved Service countries- Engineering stream from Station. anylnstinrtion, recognized Should have Note: ApDroval from two by the State / Central serviced different OEM from minimum of 100 Life rafts Govt. same country will not be and 4 Rescue boats during accepted. the training period. Minimum 3 Years The candidate must possess Graduate in Science from Experience in Assisting a Training and certification [ pn yV h thst eir u Stio tan t, e re / co Cg en niz rre ad l C So em rvp ice inte gn t - P Te er sso tin n gin - A Rn en pu aa irl nfr uom m ba e rm s i on f of Oth Ere Me Govt. & re Certification of recognized by 3 Inflatable Life Rafts & the Or Rescue Boats in DG Directorate from different countries. Shipping Approved Service Passed ITI lrade certificate by any Institution, Station. Note: Approval from two recognized by the State / Should have differcnt OEM from serviced Central Go!.l. minimum of 150 Life rafts same country will not be and 6 rescue boats during the accepted training period. 19. Any competent Person, alrcady approved by the DG Shipping will continue to be recogrized and will not be required lo meet the above criteria. However, the approval ofexisting Competent person would require to be Re Validated by the Directorate based on confirmation ofhis physical presence and activity in the attached Service station, by the jurisdictional MMD, against submission of a Declaration by the Management of Approved Service Station. 20. Intemal transfers of Competent Persons within the same company across various branches shall be approved by the DGS. Similarly, transfers from one company to another will fall under the responsibility of the DCS. In such cases, proper proofofresignation and job handover documentation must be submitted to the Directorate for deletion of name in the certificate of approval of the present employer and the endonement of name in the certificate ofapproval of another service station21. A Competent Person certification issued by the DGS for Inflatable Life Saving Equipment will remain valid for the service station to which he is attached, provided the respective service station hold the valid OEM approval. 22. Notwithstanding anything contained above, all existing contracts for the servicing ofinflatable LSAs that were executed on or before the date of issuance of this Circular may continue to be performed in accordance with the guidelines that were in force prior to the issuance of t[is Circular. DGS-approved service stations operating under such contracts and availing exemptions from the revised guidelines may submit the relevant details to the jurisdictional MMD/DGS within thirty (30) days fiom the date ofissuance ofthis Circular for information and record. 23. This Circular supersedes NT Mng/lr,liscellaneous Circular No. 02 of 2014 dated 04.03.2014, NT Circular No. NT/LSA/01/2016 dated 19.02.2016, Merchant Shipping Notice No. 13 of 2016 dated 25.11.2016, and Merchant Shipping Notice No. 09 of 2021 dated 25.11.2021 on the above subject. 24. This is issued with the approval ofDirector General of Shipping. N.+" .hq L.sr. r (Capt. Nitin Mukesh) Deputy Nautical Adviser -cum-Sr. DDG (Tech)Annexure A APPLICAT ON FORM FOR APPROVAL OF COMPETENT PERSONS (Should be submitted in a company letter head) Form: CP/001 APPLICATION NO I. NAME OF THE CANDIDATE 2. DATE OF BIRTH 3. NAME OF THE COMPANY 4. NAMEOFTHE COMPETENTPERSON 5. ADDRESS OF THE COMPANY 6. TELEPONE NO. 7. FAXNO. 8. EMAIL ID EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICANON 9. BASICEDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION a) Bachelors Degree in any Engineering or Marine qualifications b) B.Sc (Bachelor ofScience) or Diploma in Engineering in any stream I O. TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION APPROVED BY OEM (Must be authorized by at least three manufacturers from different countries) Note: Approval from two different OEM from same country will not be accepted I1. EXPERIENCE: I I (A) Years of Experience at the Service Station (a) Minimum 6 Months (b) Minimum I Years (c) Minimum 3 Yean "As applicable" I I (B) Experience in servicing of Life Rafts and A/B/C (tick which is applicable) rescue boats. A) (Minimum of 50 life rafts and 2 rescue boats) B) (Minimum of 100 Life rafts and 4 rescue boats)C) (Minimum of 150 Life rafts and 6 rescue boats) 12. RECOMMENDATION BY INCHARGE OF THE SERVICE STATION: ATTACH RELEVANT SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS SIGNATURE OF THE CANDIDATE FEE PAID: RS TRANSATION REF. NO.. ... .. .. .... .... ... DATE. . MODE: PAYMENT THROUGH BHARATKOSH DATED: PLACE DECLARATION BY THE COMPANY / MANAGER I hereby solemnly declare that to the best of my knowledge and beliet the particulars given in the form are true & correct. In case ofany liaudulent infomration, Criminal proceedings may be initiated against me / Company / Manager as per the Indian penal code. I have been authorized by the Owner / Manager to make this application. A prescribed fee of Rs._ _ _ _ _ il __ _ your favour is enclosed. I request you to grant the Approval as "Competent Person" in respect ofapplicant mentioned at Point No.l. DATE NAME: PLACE SIGNATIIRE OF SERVICE STATAION IN CHARCE Instructions: Following documents to b€ submitted to prove the minimum criteria ofthe applicant as competent person l. Application by the company in a letter head with fee receipt 2. Biodata of the proposed competent person 3. Copy ofbasic educational qualification 4. Copy of technical qualification i.e. authorisation and training record from three different OEMs. (Approval from two different OEM from same country will not be accepted) 5. Experience Certificate Issued by the DG Shipping-approved service station. It must include a) Duration ofexperience (start and end date); b) Tlpe ofequipment handled (liie rafts, rescue boats) c) Confirmation ofsupervision by a Dcs-approved Competent Person. d) Number of life rafts serviced 6. Training Logbook / Work Record Sheet: Detailed entries for each life raff/rescue boat serviced. Which should include Date of servicing, Equipment details (make, capacity, serial number), Nature of work done (inspection, testing, repacking, etc.), Signature ofthe supewising Competent Person. V