Nautical Wing — Safety at Sea
Life-Saving Appliances
The Nautical Wing oversees the testing, approval, certification, and inspection of life-saving appliances carried aboard ships operating under the Indian flag. Ensuring that every piece of equipment is operational, properly maintained, and ready for immediate use is fundamental to the safety of seafarers and passengers at sea. The Directorate administers approvals for LSA manufacturers and service stations, and ensures compliance with internationally accepted standards applicable to all vessel types and trade routes.
Survival Craft
Inflatable Liferafts
Lifejackets & Personal LSA
Rescue Boats & Visual Signals
DGS Mandate in Life-Saving Appliance Oversight
The Nautical Wing of the Directorate General of Shipping plays a central role in ensuring that life-saving appliances carried aboard Indian flag vessels and foreign ships in Indian waters meet internationally accepted standards. This encompasses the evaluation, testing, and approval of equipment before it is placed in service, regular inspections to verify operational readiness, and the certification of LSA service stations authorised to carry out periodic servicing of inflatable equipment.
Every appliance approved for use on Indian ships must satisfy the Directorate's requirements, which align with the global framework established by the International Life-Saving Appliance Code. Applicants seeking approval for domestically manufactured equipment submit applications through the nearest Mercantile Marine Department, whose surveyors conduct the requisite tests. Equipment of foreign origin undergoes scrutiny by the Nautical Adviser, and acceptance is issued for the appliance as a complete unit without permitting substitution of components. Life-saving appliances that are approved for use on Indian vessels are subject to continued oversight through the Mercantile Marine Departments and the Principal Officers of each maritime district.
Categories of Life-Saving Appliances
Categories of Life-Saving Appliances
Six Primary GroupsPersonal Life-Saving Appliances
Lifejackets
Personal flotation devices required for every person aboard, designed to keep an unconscious wearer face-upward in the water with the mouth clear of the surface. Approved for adults, children, and infants with size-appropriate buoyancy and marking. Equipped with a retro-reflective tape, a whistle, and a light source providing at least 0.75 candela for a minimum of eight hours.
Buoyancy must not reduce by more than 5% after 24 hours of submersion. An adult lifejacket must be donnable correctly within one minute without prior demonstration by at least 75% of untrained wearers. Inflatable variants require a minimum of two separate buoyancy compartments and must auto-inflate on immersion.
Immersion Suits
Waterproof, thermally insulating suits designed to protect against hypothermia during prolonged water exposure. Covers the whole body except the face, and must be donnable without assistance within two minutes including associated clothing. Buoyancy-equipped versions must maintain 5% buoyancy after 24 hours of immersion in fresh water.
Material with inherent insulation must ensure the wearer's core body temperature does not fall more than 2°C after six hours of immersion in calm circulating water between 0°C and 2°C following a 4.5-metre jump. Non-insulating suits must be worn in conjunction with warm clothing to achieve the same thermal protection standard after one hour at 5°C.
Lifebuoys
Ring-shaped flotation devices deployed for immediate man-overboard response. Must be capable of being rapidly cast overboard and of supporting a person in the water. A proportion of those carried must be fitted with a self-igniting light and a buoyant lifeline of not less than 30 metres. At least one on each side of the vessel must have a self-activating smoke signal as well as a light.
Must be constructed of inherently buoyant material and capable of supporting a person's weight in fresh water for 24 hours. Outer diameter must not exceed 800 mm and inner diameter not less than 400 mm.
Anti-Exposure Suits & Thermal Protective Aids
Anti-exposure suits are protective garments for use by rescue boat crews and personnel forming part of marine evacuation system parties, offering limited thermal protection during short-duration water exposure. Thermal Protective Aids are compact, individually packaged bags or suits made of waterproof material with low thermal conductance, primarily intended for use by persons already aboard a survival craft.
A Thermal Protective Aid must reduce both convective and evaporative heat loss and cover the entire body including hands. The wearer must be able to remove it in water within two minutes if it impairs the ability to swim. Operating temperature range extends from minus 30°C to plus 20°C.
Survival Craft
Inflatable and Rigid Liferafts
Liferafts provide a lighter-weight survival craft complement carried aboard all vessel types, deploying automatically from canisters when released into the water. Inflatable liferafts must withstand 30 days afloat in all sea conditions, survive a drop of 18 metres, and be capable of being boarded by jump from at least 4.5 metres. A self-erecting weatherproof canopy provides protection from the elements. Equipment packs are specified as Pack A for extended sea voyages with longer anticipated rescue times, and Pack B for shorter, near-coastal operations.
Must be towable at 3 knots when loaded. Each person's floor space must not be less than 0.372 square metres. Pack A equipment includes water rations of 1.5 litres per person, food rations of 10,000 kJ per person, a graduated drinking vessel, a first-aid kit, fishing tackle, bailer, sponge, sea anchor, and two buoyant rescue quoits. Hydrostatic release units must be serviced annually, and liferaft containers must be serviced at a DGS-approved station at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
Rescue Boats, Launching Appliances and Other LSA
Rescue Boats, Launching Systems & Other Appliances
Essential Supporting EquipmentRescue BoatsActive Emergency Response Platform
Mandatory on All Cargo and Passenger Ships
- Rescue boats are distinct from survival craft in that they are designed not merely for evacuation but as active platforms for recovering persons from the water and marshalling survival craft. They may be rigid, inflatable, or rigid-inflatable hull construction.
- Overall length must fall between 3.8 and 8.5 metres. Minimum capacity is five seated persons plus one stretcher case. Speed must be at least 6 knots for four hours with full complement, and 2 knots while towing the largest survival craft.
- Equipment includes a searchlight of 2,500 candela with a 6-degree beam, a buoyant rescue quoit with a 30-metre line, a waterproof VHF radio, a portable fire extinguisher, a complete first-aid kit, and a boat hook.
- Inflatable rescue boats must maintain full inflation at all times and must be capable of withstanding exposure on an open deck at sea for 30 days and of floating afloat in all sea conditions for an equal period.
Launching & Embarkation AppliancesDavits, Hooks and Falls
Critical Operational System
- Gravity davits are the standard launching appliance for lifeboats on cargo ships, using the boat's own weight to swing outboard and lower it to the embarkation deck and thence to the sea. On-load release gear allows the lifeboat to be released from the falls while still under load, a critical safety feature in rough weather.
- Falls used in launching must be turned end-for-end at intervals of not more than 30 months and renewed when necessary due to deterioration. Davit-launched liferaft hooks must be maintained in accordance with instructions for on-board maintenance and periodically tested to specific load and force criteria.
- Each launching appliance must be capable of operating the launching system with no more than two persons. Embarkation ladders must be rigged at each survival craft station to permit boarding the craft from the water.
Key Inspection Focus
Marine Evacuation SystemsHigh-Capacity Rapid Transfer
Required on Large Passenger Ships
- A Marine Evacuation System provides for the rapid transfer of persons from the embarkation deck of a passenger ship to inflatable liferafts positioned at the waterline, typically by means of a gravity-feed slide or chute arrangement leading to a floating platform from which persons enter the liferafts.
- The passage must accommodate persons of all ages, sizes, and physical capabilities wearing approved lifejackets, descending from the embarkation deck to the floating platform or survival craft safely.
- The total complement must be transferable from the ship into inflated liferafts within 30 minutes on a passenger ship and within 10 minutes on a cargo ship from the time the order to abandon is given.
Visual Signals and PyrotechnicsDistress Communication
Mandatory Distress Signalling Equipment
- Rocket parachute flares must reach an altitude of not less than 300 metres when fired vertically. The parachute flare burns at not less than 30,000 candela for a minimum of 40 seconds at a rate of descent not exceeding 5 metres per second.
- Hand flares burn with a red colour at a luminous intensity of not less than 15,000 candela for a minimum of one minute. They must continue to burn after being submerged for 10 seconds under 100 mm of water.
- Buoyant smoke signals provide an orange-coloured smoke signal for at least three minutes in calm weather, enabling aerial and surface identification of the survival craft's position during daylight operations.
- Line-throwing appliances must be capable of throwing a line with reasonable accuracy to a range of at least 230 metres in calm weather conditions. Each unit carries a minimum of four projectiles and four lines.
Alarm and Communication SystemsGeneral Emergency Alarm and EPIRB
Operational Readiness Required
- The general emergency alarm system must be capable of being heard throughout all accommodation and normal crew working spaces and must be tested weekly. The public address system, where fitted, must be approved and capable of reaching all spaces including open decks.
- Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) transmit on 406 MHz to the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite system and provide a positional accuracy enabling rescue coordination. Hydrostatic release units must be serviced annually and carry a marked expiry date.
- Search and Rescue Transponders (SARTs) and AIS-SARTs are carried in survival craft to enable radar and AIS detection of the craft's position by rescuing vessels and aircraft during a search and rescue operation.
Maintenance, Inspection and Servicing Requirements
Maintenance, Inspection and Servicing Obligations
All life-saving appliances must be maintained in working order and ready for immediate use before the ship leaves port and at all times during the voyage. Maintenance, testing, and inspections must be carried out in a manner having due regard to ensuring reliability. The vessel must carry sufficient spares and repair equipment for components subject to wear or regular consumption. Records of all servicing must be kept and available for inspection by DGS surveyors and Port State Control officers.
Weekly
Weekly Inspections and Tests
- Visual inspection of all survival craft, rescue boats, and launching appliances to confirm readiness for use, including hook condition and proper resetting of on-load release gear.
- Running of all lifeboat and rescue boat engines for a continuous period of not less than three minutes, provided ambient temperature permits.
- Lifeboats on cargo ships to be moved from their stowed position to the extent necessary to demonstrate satisfactory operation of the launching appliances if weather and sea conditions permit.
- General emergency alarm system to be tested.
Monthly
Monthly Inspections and Musters
- All lifeboats except free-fall lifeboats to be turned out from the stowed position without persons on board, if weather and sea conditions allow.
- Inspection and inventory check of survival craft equipment, rescue boats, and lifeboats to confirm all required equipment items are present and in serviceable condition.
- All lifebuoys, EPIRBs, and SARTs to be visually inspected to confirm location and condition. Hydrostatic release unit expiry dates to be verified.
- Inventory of all pyrotechnic and visual signal devices to confirm quantities and that no items have passed their expiry date.
Annual and Periodic
Annual and Periodic Servicing
- Inflatable liferafts, inflatable rescue boats, inflatable lifejackets, and marine evacuation systems must be serviced at intervals of not more than 12 months at a DGS-approved LSA service station, or at an overseas station approved by the flag state administration.
- Hydrostatic release units must be serviced annually. Falls must be turned end-for-end every 30 months and renewed as necessary.
- Launching appliances and on-load release gear to be thoroughly examined and operationally tested in accordance with the approved maintenance programme at periodic intervals not exceeding five years, with annual examinations in between.
- EPIRB registration, battery expiry, and hydrostatic release unit validity to be verified at each annual inspection and updated as required.
DGS Approval and Service Station Framework
DGS Approval Process for LSA Manufacturers and Service Stations
Regulatory FrameworkLSA Manufacturer and Equipment ApprovalDGS Type Approval Process
5-Year Approval Period
- All life-saving appliances intended for use on Indian ships must obtain approval from the Nautical Adviser to the Government of India. Applications for domestically manufactured equipment are forwarded to the Directorate and tests are subsequently conducted by surveyors of the nearest Mercantile Marine Department.
- Upon satisfactory compliance with the applicable international standards, approval is granted for a period of five years. The manufacturer is required to maintain a quality standards certification covering the approved equipment and its production processes.
- Equipment of foreign origin requires the submission of authenticated documentation to the Nautical Adviser for scrutiny. Acceptance is issued for the appliance as a complete unit and no replacement or substitution of components is permitted. Foreign-origin liferafts that have received an acceptance letter are subject to inspection by MMD surveyors for a functional test before first use on Indian ships.
- All approved LSA must carry the DGS approval marking and be accompanied by the relevant certificates. The approval is conditional upon continued compliance with the standards under which it was granted and is subject to verification at any time by Mercantile Marine Department surveyors.
Approval Categories
LSA Service Station ApprovalMS Notice 08 of 2025
5-Year Certificate with Intermediate Verification
- Only DGS-approved service stations are permitted to carry out the periodical servicing of inflatable life-saving appliances, including inflatable liferafts, inflatable rescue boats, inflatable lifejackets, and immersion suits, for Indian flag vessels and for foreign ships while in Indian waters. The current framework is governed by Merchant Shipping Notice 08 of 2025.
- To be eligible for approval, a service station must comply with IMO guidelines, maintain a quality management system, be registered with local statutory authorities, and have at least one DGS-certified competent person attached for the conduct of servicing operations. Service stations are further categorised based on the authorisation they hold from the Original Equipment Manufacturer.
- Applications are submitted to the Nautical Wing of DGS and an audit is conducted by the jurisdictional Mercantile Marine Department. Upon satisfactory compliance, a certificate of approval is issued for a period of five years, with an intermediate verification conducted three months before or after the mid-term anniversary date by the Principal Officer of the maritime district concerned.
- The competent person must remain attached to the approved service station and the approval certificate reflects this association. Any change in the competent person must be notified through the Mercantile Marine Department. Records of all servicing conducted, including certificate numbers and equipment serial numbers, must be maintained and provided to vessels to enable recording in the ship's log.
Service Station Eligibility Criteria
Key Operational Principles
Key Operational Principles for Life-Saving Appliances
Operational ReadinessAlways Ready Principle
- All life-saving appliances must be in working order and ready for immediate use before the ship leaves port and at all times during the voyage, without exception. This duty is absolute and not contingent on sea state or weather conditions.
- Stowage must be such that appliances can be reached and used in the shortest possible time, and all persons aboard must know the location of their assigned survival craft and life-saving equipment.
Drills and TrainingMuster and Abandon Ship
- Abandon ship drills must be held within 24 hours of the ship leaving a port where more than 25% of the crew has changed. Every person on board must participate in at least one abandon ship drill per month. Drills must test the full sequence including the general alarm, muster, and embarkation.
- Training must include all aspects of rescue and survival craft handling. Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats is a STCW certification requirement for designated crew members, assessed through practical drills and oral examination.
Manning and SupervisionDesignated Persons
- A sufficient number of trained crew members must be assigned to each survival craft and rescue boat station to ensure orderly embarkation and launching. The muster list must designate duties for each person and be posted in conspicuous locations throughout the vessel.
- A person qualified in the operation of the type of survival craft carried must be placed in charge of each lifeboat. A backup person must also be nominated for each craft. Crew holding Proficiency in Survival Craft certificates must be assigned accordingly.
Approved Service OnlyDGS-Certified Stations
- Only DGS-approved LSA service stations are authorised to service inflatable appliances. Use of an unapproved station voids the compliance status of the equipment for Indian flag purposes and constitutes a deficiency under Port State Control inspection.
- Records of servicing including the service station's name, approval number, competent person details, and the serial numbers and certificate numbers of all items serviced must be retained on board and available for inspection. Servicing intervals must not exceed 12 months for inflatable liferafts and related equipment.
Life Saving Appliances
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