Class and approved service firms

Since 1 January 2020, only approved firms may do the annual and five-yearly work on lifeboats, davits and hooks. The approval is never general. A firm is approved for particular makes and types of equipment, and each of its technicians is certified for particular makes and types too.

Who gives the approval depends on the ship’s flag. Some flags approve firms themselves. Many let the class societies do it on their behalf, using a common rulebook written by IACS, the association of the major class societies.

For the person booking the work, the job is simple but easy to skip: before the firm starts, check that its approval and its technicians’ papers cover the exact equipment on your ship, are in date, and come from a body your flag accepts. The surveyor and the port state officer will check later. It is better to check first.

Two layers: the firm and the person

MSC.402(96) sets two separate checks. The firm must be an authorised service provider (§3 and §7). The people doing the work must be certified (§8). One without the other is not enough.

Paragraph 3.2 says the requirements in section 7 “shall equally apply to manufacturers when they are acting as authorized service providers”. Some flags still treat a manufacturer working on its own equipment differently (see below and lesson 3).

What a firm must show to be authorised

MSC.402(96) §7.1 lists the minimum a firm must demonstrate:

1. Personnel certified to a recognised national, international or industry standard, or a manufacturer’s programme, meeting section 8 “for each make and type of equipment”.
2. Enough tools, including the manufacturer’s specialised tools and portable tools for work on board.
3. Access to the right parts and accessories.
4. The manufacturer’s instructions for work that involves taking apart or adjusting on-load release mechanisms and davit winches.
5. A documented and certified quality system. A system to the current ISO 9000 series that covers the listed items is acceptable.

The authorisation document must define the scope, “e.g. makes and types of equipment”, and show a clear expiry date (§7.4.1). The authority must check the firm’s work over time, for example by periodic audit, and withdraw authorisation from firms that do not comply (§7.4.2).

How class societies approve firms

Many flags ask their Recognized Organizations, the class societies acting for them, to approve service firms. The IACS members use one common text for this: Unified Requirement Z17, “Procedural requirements for service suppliers”. Section 13 of its Annex 1 covers “Firms engaged in maintenance, thorough examination, operational testing, overhaul and repair of lifeboats and rescue boats, launching appliances and release gear”.

The main rules in UR Z17 Rev.23 (July 2026):

• The rules apply “equally to manufacturers or ship’s operator when they are acting as Service Suppliers” (§13.2.1).
• Approval is given “for each make and type of equipment” under MSC.402(96) section 7 (§13.2.2).
• An approved firm may certify only its own employees (§13.3.1).
• The firm must have the manufacturer’s instructions, including updates and safety notices, and the type approval certificate (§13.4).
• For on-load release work, the firm must have genuine replacement parts specified or supplied by the manufacturer (§13.5).
• The report must follow MSC.402(96) §5.3, with the fit-for-purpose statement and copies of certification and authorisation (§13.6).

The class certificate of approval states the scope and any limits, including makes of equipment where that is a limit (UR Z17 §6.1). It is renewed or endorsed by audit at least every five years, or sooner if the firm’s own approval from a manufacturer expires first (§6.2). If a parent company’s approval ends, approval of agents and subsidiaries included under it ends too (§8.4).

Each society publishes its own scheme on top of UR Z17. DNV issues an “Approval of Service Suppliers” certificate that cites Class Programme DNV-CP-0484 and UR Z17 Annex 1 [13]. A DNV certificate seen for this lesson listed each make, description and type covered, and was valid for three years. Bureau Veritas uses Rule Note NR533, “Approval of Service Suppliers” (R15, July 2026), with lifeboats in Appendix 1, [11]. Lloyd’s Register approves suppliers under its “Procedures for Approval of Service Suppliers” and keeps a public list, as described on its website.

The technician’s certification

Section 8 of MSC.402(96) sets out how technicians are certified. The manufacturer or the authorised provider certifies them “for each make and type of the equipment to be worked on” (§8.1). Education covers the rules, design, the causes of lifeboat accidents, the section 6 procedures, reporting and health and safety (§8.2.1). Practical training includes taking the equipment apart, putting it back together and adjusting it, then supervised field work (§8.2.2). A competency assessment comes before certification (§8.2.3).

The certificate must state the makes and types and which activities it covers: annual work under §4.2, five-yearly work under §4.3, or both. It expires three years from issue, and is suspended after any shortfall in performance (§8.3.1).

Checking the papers before work starts

Panama asks ROs, owners and operators to “verify in advance” that the firm is authorised and that its personnel hold certification “for each make and type of equipment to be worked on” (MMC-258, §6.2, as of October 2026). It is good practice under any flag.

Why “make and type” matters

A firm approved for one maker’s davit-launched boats is not automatically approved for another maker’s hooks, or for a free-fall system. The same applies to each technician. When a ship has a lifeboat, davit, winch and hook from different makers, every one of them must be on both the firm’s approval and the technician’s papers. The manufacturer’s manual for each item comes first in how the work is done.

Before 2020

Before MSC.402(96) became mandatory, servicing firms were authorised under guidance in Annex 1 of MSC.1/Circ.1206/Rev.1 and the interim recommendation MSC.1/Circ.1277. MSC.402(96) revoked Annex 1 of Circ.1206/Rev.1, and its content replaced Circ.1277. Liberia states that authorisations given to third-party providers under Annex I of Circ.1206/Rev.1 are “no longer permitted” (SAF-005 §4.1.2).

Independent firms and manufacturers

When adopting MSC.402(96), the IMO invited governments to take measures so that national manufacturers give independent service providers timely, cost-effective access to “equipment, instructions, specialized tools, spare parts, training and accessories” (MSC.402(96), operative paragraph 3). It is an invitation, not a rule, and access still varies by maker.

When the manufacturer has gone

If a manufacturer is no longer in business or no longer supports the equipment, the flag may authorise providers based on earlier authorisation or long experience (MSC.402(96) §7.3). UR Z17 §13.2.3 gives class the same option. Panama handles these cases one by one, through an Authorization Letter requested in advance via the RO, owner, operator or provider (MMC-258 §7.1).

Who may certify technicians

UR Z17 lets an approved firm certify its own staff only. Some flags add limits. As reported by the Indian Register of Shipping (Technical Circular 002/2020), India’s M.S. Notice 01 of 2020 allows an authorised provider other than the manufacturer to train and certify personnel only where the manufacturer has granted it that approval.