February 2025: Servicing and testing of life-saving appliances
This update is for:
- Authorised Service Providers for liferafts and lifejackets
Background information
Recent audits of authorised liferaft and lifejacket service providers found that some servicing stations were servicing life‑saving equipment, including lifejackets, that they did not have approval to service.
Maritime Rules Part 42A sets performance standards and requirements for the maintenance, servicing, testing, and inspection of life‑saving appliances. The appliances covered include:
- lifebuoys
- lifejackets
- immersion suits
- anti‑exposure suits
- visual signals
- survival craft
- rescue boats
- evacuation systems
- line‑throwing appliances
- general alarm and public address systems.
Safety reminder
All authorised servicing stations are reminded of their responsibilities under Maritime Rules Part 42A for the maintenance, servicing, testing, and inspection of life‑saving appliances.
Liferaft servicing station approval –Maritime Rule Part 42A.5A
Service providers must:
- hold an approved servicing station certificate issued by the Director of Maritime NZ, that is valid for 3 years and may have conditions imposed in the interests of maritime safety
- ensure that any person who services a liferaft at an approved servicing station has been trained by a person approved by the manufacturer of that liferaft.
Approval to inspect and test one specific brand of safety equipment does not automatically allow service providers to test similar brands or types of equipment. Instead, service providers must:
- obtain approval from each manufacturer for each brand or type of equipment they wish to service
- ensure that each approved brand is listed on the certificate issued by the Director of Maritime NZ.