Hebei Maritime Authorities Successfully Promote the Application of PSC Research Achievements

Recently, an international ship lifesaving equipment manufacturer and the Liberian flag state have successively issued announcements to carry out maintenance upgrades on ships equipped with the manufacturer's FF-65 free-fall lifeboats, adjusting the seating arrangement inside the boats to ensure compliance. This maintenance upgrade is another typical case of transforming the research results of port state control inspections conducted by the Caofeidian Maritime Safety Administration Inspection Center.

It is understood that in December 2025, ship inspectors from the Caofeidian Maritime Safety Administration Inspection Center conducted a PSC (Port State Control) inspection on a large CAPE ship (Capesize bulk carrier) within their jurisdiction. For the first time, they issued a defect notice regarding the insufficient net width of the seating passage in a free-fall lifeboat and, after preliminary communication with the classification society, lawfully detained the ship.

During subsequent PSC inspections, the Caofeidian Maritime Safety Administration Inspection Center continued to track, analyze, and summarize on-site inspection data. In the first half of 2026, they repeatedly discovered similar issues, confirming that the FF-65 free-fall lifeboats manufactured by a foreign company commonly exhibited defects such as insufficient net width of the passage inside the boat and inadequate gaps between the seat backs, which did not meet the requirements of the International Life-Saving Appliance (LSA) Code. In-depth research revealed that this model of lifeboat is still widely used in the ship market, failing to comply with LSA requirements and affecting the efficiency of emergency boarding and evacuation during maritime accidents.

To thoroughly clarify technical disputes and unify compliance determination standards, the Caofeidian Maritime Safety Administration Inspection Center engaged in multiple communications with the classification societies of inspected ships. They conducted on-site inspections with surveyors and maintenance personnel from the manufacturer to identify non-compliance issues. Additionally, they held discussions with senior inspection experts from the maritime system and collaborated with several internationally renowned classification societies to analyze convention rules and verify technical clauses, ultimately forming a scientifically rigorous technical conclusion.

Meanwhile, addressing the technical disagreements of the equipment manufacturer in the earlier stages, the Caofeidian Maritime Safety Administration Inspection Technology Center relied on international convention rules, solid theoretical research, comprehensive on-site evidence collection, and meticulous professional technical verification to gradually resolve technical disputes and build industry consensus. This effort prompted the manufacturer to proactively revise equipment design standards and introduce special rectification and optimization measures. Ultimately, the manufacturer and the Liberian flag state successively issued announcements to carry out comprehensive maintenance upgrades, successfully achieving the transformation of research results.