The Safety Pelican
Schedule service

When is a liferaft service due?

The label gives you a date. The raft’s approval, service record, manufacturer instructions and the vessel’s requirements determine whether that date is the complete answer.

Multiple inflated liferafts arranged for service inside The Safety Pelican workshop

Start with the service label and latest certificate. For many standard SOLAS-certified inflatable liferafts, the normal service interval is 12 months. That is not a universal rule for every raft: approved extended-service models can follow a different arrangement, while non-SOLAS leisure products may use a manufacturer-specific schedule.

The useful question is therefore not only ‘what date is printed?’ It is whether the date belongs to this raft and whether the servicing arrangement is accepted for this vessel, flag and operation.

Sources checked July 31, 2026

Start with the record, not an assumed interval.

Find the service label on the canister or valise, then compare it with the latest certificate, service report or maintenance record kept aboard. The document should identify the same manufacturer, model and serial number as the physical raft. Capacity and pack type should also agree where they are recorded.

If the label and certificate do not match, or the serial number cannot be read, treat the due date as unresolved. A date on paperwork for another unit does not establish the status of the raft on deck.

  • Service or next-due date shown on the raft
  • Manufacturer, model and serial number
  • Capacity and emergency-pack designation where shown
  • Latest certificate, service station and service date

Understand why service intervals differ.

Standard SOLAS-certified inflatable liferafts are commonly serviced every 12 months at an approved service station. IMO Resolution A.761(18) sets out the conditions under which Administrations approve stations, including manufacturer-specific capability, trained personnel, suitable enclosed facilities and controlled servicing procedures.

Some liferafts are specifically approved for an extended service interval. VIKING’s S30 range, for example, can use a service interval of up to 30 months only when the raft and arrangement meet the applicable approval conditions, the vessel’s flag Administration accepts the arrangement and the required annual onboard inspection is carried out by appropriately qualified personnel.

Non-SOLAS leisure liferafts can follow a different manufacturer schedule. VIKING recommends a three-year interval for its RescYou yachting range. That recommendation should not be transferred to a commercial or SOLAS raft simply because the manufacturer name is the same.

  • Standard or extended-service product approval
  • SOLAS, national-code or leisure-craft context
  • Manufacturer instructions for the exact model
  • Flag, class, charter or survey requirements applying to the vessel

A future date does not settle every question.

Ask for an assessment if the container, valise, seals, securing arrangement or hydrostatic release unit show damage or an unreadable date. The same applies after deployment, suspected water ingress, an incomplete service history or a change in the vessel’s flag or operating status. The printed date may still be in the future, but the evidence needed to rely on it may no longer be complete.

Do not open the container to investigate. Photograph the exterior condition and send the evidence to a station authorised for the make and model.

  • Damaged, distorted or contaminated container or valise
  • Broken band, missing seal or unreadable service label
  • Missing certificate or serial-number mismatch
  • Deployment, suspected moisture or known damage
  • Change of flag, class, charter status or operating profile

An extension is an approval, not a grace period.

Do not add an informal grace period to the printed service date. A flag Administration may provide a defined route for exceptional deferment, but the conditions and authority differ by jurisdiction. The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, for example, describes a written application process for exceptional cases; that process does not automatically apply to another flag.

If the vessel cannot reach an authorised station before the due date, contact the flag Administration, recognised organisation or survey contact early. A service station can provide equipment information and availability, but it cannot create an extension on behalf of the vessel’s Administration.

Send enough information for a useful answer.

The station can assess the service request much faster when the raft, record and vessel context arrive together. Send the information before the due date becomes an operational problem, particularly when the vessel has a fixed sailing, charter or survey window.

The Safety Pelican can identify the equipment, check whether the make and model fall within the station’s service scope and discuss workshop timing. The vessel remains responsible for confirming the carriage and compliance requirement that applies to it.

  • Overall photographs of the canister or valise
  • Readable identification and service labels
  • Latest service certificate or report
  • Vessel name, flag and operating status
  • Current location and required return date
  • Next voyage, charter, survey or inspection date

Official sources

Check the current authority text.

Requirements can change and may depend on the vessel, flag, class and operation. Use these links to verify the current source.

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