Regulations last checked for updates: Jun 18, 2024

Title 46 - Shipping last revised: Jun 12, 2024
§ 108.575 - Survival craft and rescue boat equipment.

(a) All lifeboat and rescue boat equipment must be as follows:

(1) The equipment must be secured within the boat by lashings, storage in lockers, or compartments, storage in brackets or similar mounting arrangements or other suitable means.

(2) The equipment must be secured in such a manner as not to interfere with any abandonment procedures or reduce seating capacity.

(3) The equipment must be as small and of as little mass as possible.

(4) The equipment must be packed in a suitable and compact form.

(5) The equipment should be stowed so the items do not—

(i) Reduce the seating capacity;

(ii) Adversely affect the seaworthiness of the survival craft or rescue boat; or

(iii) Overload the launching appliance.

(b) Each lifeboat, rigid liferaft, and rescue boat, unless otherwise stated in this paragraph, must carry the equipment specified for it in table § 108.575(b) of this section. A lifeboat that is also a rescue boat must carry the equipment in the table column marked for a lifeboat. Each item in the table has the same description as in § 199.175 of this chapter.

Table 108.575(b)—Survival Craft Equipment

Item No. Item International service Other than international service
Lifeboat Rigid liferaft Rescue boat Lifeboat Rigid liferaft Rescue boat
1Bailer 1111111
2Bilge pump 21 1
3Boathook2 12 1
4Bucket 32 12 1
5Can opener33
6Compass1 11 1
7Dipper1 1
8Drinking cup11
9Fire extinguisher1 11 1
10First-aid kit111111
11Fishing kit11
12Flashlight111111
13Hatchet2 2
14Heaving line212212
15Instruction card 1 1
16Jackknife1 1
17Knife 1 4 11 11
18Ladder1 11 1
19Mirror, signaling11 11
20Oars (units) 5 61 1
Paddles 2 2
21Painter211211
22Provisions (units per person)11
23Pump 7 1
24Radar reflector111
25Rainwater collection device1
26Repair kit 7 1 1
27Sea anchor121121
28Searchlight1 11 1
29Seasickness kit (kits/person)11 11
30Signal, smoke22 21
31Signal, hand flare66 66
32Signal, parachute flare44 44
33Skates and fenders 81 1
34Sponge 7 22 22
35Survival instructions11 11
36Table of lifesaving signals11 11
37Thermal protective aid (percent of persons) 910%10%10%10%10%10%
38Tool kit1 1
39Towline 101 11 1
40Water (liters per person)31.5 31
41Whistle111111

Notes:

1 Each liferaft approved for 13 persons or more must carry two of these items.

2 Bilge pumps are not required for boats of self-bailing design.

3 Not required for inflated or rigid/inflated rescue boats.

4 A hatchet counts toward this requirement in rigid rescue boats.

5 Oars not required on a free-fall lifeboat; a unit of oars means the number of oars specified by the manufacturer.

6 Rescue boats may substitute buoyant oars for paddles, as specified by the manufacturer.

7 Not required for a rigid rescue boat.

8 Required if specified by the boat manufacturer.

9 Sufficient thermal protective aids are required for at least 10% of the persons the survival craft is equipped to carry, but not less than two.

10 Required only if the lifeboat is also the rescue boat.

[CGD 84-069, 61 FR 25291, May 20, 1996, as amended at 63 FR 52814, Oct. 1, 1998]
authority: 43 U.S.C. 1333; 46 U.S.C. 3102,3306; Department of Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1
source: CGD 73-251, 43 FR 56808, Dec. 4, 1978, unless otherwise noted.
cite as: 46 CFR 108.575