Musters and Abandon Ship Drill
The muster list, new crew familiarization and the frequency of abandon ship drills: the first thing a PSC inspector checks on boarding.
Operational Explanation
SOLAS III/19 sets two times: anyone assigned emergency duties must understand them before the voyage begins; onboard training in life-saving and fire-fighting appliances must be given as soon as possible and no later than two weeks after joining.
Regulatory Reference
SOLAS Chapter III, Regulation 19 (Emergency training and drills). Frequency: every crew member participates in at least one abandon ship drill and one fire drill every month (§19.3.2); a drill within 24 hours of departure if more than 25% of the crew has not taken part in abandon ship and fire drills on the same ship in the previous month; onboard equipment training as soon as possible and within two weeks, with assigned duties understood before the voyage. On passenger ships the frequency is weekly, and it is not in regulation 19: it is in regulation III/30.2 — “On passenger ships, an abandon ship drill and fire drill shall take place weekly” — which also carries the two clauses often attributed elsewhere: the entire crew need not be involved in every drill, provided each member takes part once a month, and passengers “shall be strongly encouraged to attend”.
What every abandon ship drill must contain. §19.3.4.1 lists nine items required at every drill, and three are the ones most often skipped: .5 the lowering of at least one lifeboat after any necessary preparation for launching, .6 starting and operating the lifeboat engine, .7 operation of the davits used for launching liferafts. §19.3.4.9 adds the test of the emergency lighting at each abandon ship drill, and §19.3.4.2 requires different lifeboats to be lowered at successive drills as far as practicable.
What is quarterly instead. §19.3.4.3: each lifeboat shall be “[…] launched, and manoeuvred in the water by its assigned operating crew, at least once every three months” — that is launched and manoeuvred in the water, which is a different thing from the lowering of §19.3.4.1.5. For free-fall lifeboats, §19.3.4.4 requires every three months that the crew board and run the launch procedures up to but not including release — after which the lifeboat shall in any case either be free-fall launched with only the required operating crew on board, or lowered into the water by means of the secondary means of launching with or without the operating crew on board, and in both cases thereafter be manoeuvred in the water by the operating crew — and at intervals of not more than six months an actual free-fall launch with only the operating crew on board, or a simulated launching under the Organization's guidelines.
The items of §19.3.4.1 are mandatory at every drill, and the quarterly requirement of §19.3.4.3 is not typical practice but a Convention deadline.
SOLAS III/37 requires a muster list prepared before departure and revised when crew changes make this necessary, identifying duties and substitutes for key personnel. III/19.3.2 requires drills before sailing on first entry into service, after major modification or with a new crew, subject to equivalent arrangements accepted by the Administration where permitted. Consider III/19.3.4.4–.5 exceptions in the launching schedule without extending them arbitrarily to other ships. MSC.47(66) · MSC.350(92).
SOLAS III/8.3 requires muster lists and emergency instructions displayed conspicuously, including on the bridge, in the engine-room and crew accommodation. Keep individual monthly participation, passenger-ship weekly drills and boat launching/manoeuvring schedules distinct, including III/19.3.4.4–5 exceptions.
Scope of Application
Every ship subject to SOLAS Chapter III, for the entire crew. On passenger ships the crew drill frequency is weekly (regulation III/30.2), with the monthly minimum for each individual member unchanged: the additional requirement is not only about informing passengers, it is first of all about how often the crew drills.
Procedure / How to Complete It
- Before the voyage begins, verify that each person with assigned duties knows the role, station and immediate actions.
- Provide onboard training in life-saving and fire-fighting appliances as soon as possible and within two weeks of joining.
- Record pre-voyage familiarisation, training and drills separately.
Practical Example
Training example: for two new joiners record knowledge of role and station before the voyage and, separately, the date and content of equipment training. Record drill participants, required checks, appliances used, defects and actions. A six-minute muster or three sampled donning checks alone does not demonstrate a complete drill.
What Typically Goes Wrong
Common Mistakes Mistake Library
| Mistake | Consequence | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency duties not understood before sailing or onboard training later than two weeks | PSC deficiency, real risk in the event of an emergency before familiarization is completed | Verify duties before the voyage; provide training as soon as possible within the applicable deadline |
| Muster list not updated after a crew change | Emergency duties not correctly assigned to the crew members actually on board | Update the muster list immediately at every crew change |
| Abandon ship drill without practical donning of the equipment (immersion suit, lifejacket) | The crew does not gain real familiarity with timing and practical difficulties | Check correct lifejacket donning at every drill; include immersion-suit training under the applicable programme |
What the PSCO Checks
Operational Tips
- Verify understanding of emergency duties before the voyage; do not treat the two-week training deadline as an extension.
- Update the muster list on the same day as every crew change, not retrospectively.
- Periodically include practical donning of the equipment in drills, not just simulation of the route.
Preparation checklist
- Emergency duties understood before voyage
- Onboard training given as soon as possible and within two weeks
- Muster list and records aligned
FAQ
Related Topics
Last substantive revision of this page: 16 September 2026 · page fingerprint 0ca88ceb35ff