B SAFE Onboard Safety BSAFE INCIDENT CASE STUDY 14: ACCIDENTAL RELEASE OF A LIFEBOAT Published: 30 December 2021 Updated: 5 January 2022 A refrigerated cargo ship had berthed in Southampton to discharge a cargo of fruit. On the day of arrival the local port state authorities had boarded the ship in order to conduct a Port State Control (PSC) inspection, which included a lifeboat drill. While securing the lifeboat after the drill, the ship`s bosun sustained minor injuries as the forward end of the lifeboat fell from its davit due to it not being correctly reset when it was hoisted from the water ( Figure 1 ). Figure 1 Port side lifeboat after the incident Source: Maritime Accident Investigation Branch WHAT HAPPENED? During the port stay a Port State Control Officer (PSCO) from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) boarded the ship in order to conduct a Port State Control (PSC) inspection. During the inspection the PSCO noted several deficiencies, which included incorrect recording of the crew’s hours of rest and defective fire hydrants. On the basis of these findings, the PSCO ordered the crew to carry out an abandon ship drill using the port side lifeboat. The chief officer (C/O) was the lifeboat commander and he entered the lifeboat together with five other crew members. The C/O instructed the crewman operating the lifeboat davit winch on the embarkation deck to release the brake and lower the lifeboat into the water. When the lifeboat was in the water its engine was started and the C/O pulled the hook release handle (Figure 2) to free the boat from the davit suspension links. However, the hooks failed to open. The C/O pulled the release handle again and this time the hooks opened and released the lifeboat from the davit suspension links. The C/O manoeuvred the lifeboat clear of the ship and sailed around before returning and bringing the lifeboat alongside the ship in order to be lifted. During the preparation to be hoisted the lifeboat crew experienced difficu