Tender Operations: Service Boats for Passenger Transfer
MSC.1/Circ.1417 recommends controls for ship-carried craft transferring more than 12 passengers from a stationary ship to shore and back; binding effect and extension depend on implementation and the SMS.
Operational Explanation
MSC.1/Circ.1417 is recommendatory guidance. Risk assessment, operating log and their fields become mandatory when implemented by the Administration, required by a competent authority or adopted in the Company SMS/procedure.
Regulatory Reference
MSC.1/Circ.1417 recommends documented operating limits and briefing (§10), and a log with arrival/departure times at both ends, passenger count and significant events (§11). Do not attribute a different mandatory field list or a specific general risk-assessment condition for stowed lifejackets to the circular: check the applicable national or company source.
The circular is recommendatory and does not replace applicable SOLAS, coastal-State or SMS requirements. SMS risk management remains necessary even where a circular does not prescribe a particular form. MSC.1/Circ.1417.
The circular's scope is narrower than its name suggests: it covers ship-carried craft used to transfer more than 12 passengers from a stationary passenger ship to shore and back, and expressly excludes coastal sightseeing excursions, inflatable boats and RHIBs.
The guidance recommends another tender or vessel of sufficient capacity immediately available for assistance (§10.6), boarding only while afloat and disembarking before recovery (§12). Lifeboats used as tenders should be restored to full lifeboat readiness, including refuelling, before the ship resumes its voyage (§12.5).
Scope of Application
Ship-carried tenders transferring more than 12 passengers from a stationary ship to shore and back. The circular is not intended for inflatables or RHIBs; sightseeing trips need craft meeting coastal-State passenger-ship requirements. Its domestic-service clause preserves those requirements rather than automatically excluding every domestically certified craft.
Procedure / How to Complete It
- Confirm whether craft and operation meet the circular's definition.
- Identify exclusions and other flag/port requirements.
- Apply risk assessment and log as recommendations or as duties when implemented in SMS/applicable law.
- Follow actually approved limits, manning and procedures.
Practical Example
Example: before tendering, the Master applies the current procedure and checks weather, craft and briefing. A specific risk assessment and operating log are completed when required by the Administration or competent authority or adopted in the SMS; their source is recorded correctly.
What Typically Goes Wrong
Common Mistakes Mistake Library
| Mistake | Consequence | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Presenting the MSC.1/Circ.1417 risk assessment and log as universal obligations | Recommendatory guidance is converted into a Convention requirement beyond its scope | Check circular scope and the source of enforceability: Administration implementation, authority requirement or SMS procedure |
| Omitting weather, craft-capacity or briefing controls required by the applicable procedure | The transfer is not controlled under the adopted system | Apply and record the controls required by the procedure actually in force |
What the PSCO Checks
Operational Tips
- First establish whether the craft and service fall within MSC.1/Circ.1417 scope.
- Treat the risk assessment and log as mandatory when implemented or adopted in the applicable procedure/SMS.
- Document briefing, weather and trips at the frequency and with the fields required by the applicable source.
Preparation checklist
- Craft/operation scope checked
- Exclusions checked
- Guideline status stated
- Implementation/SMS identified
- Approved limits applied
FAQ
Related Topics
Last substantive revision of this page: 15 September 2026 · page fingerprint 65fcd16717a4