Most of us have seen that rather patronising appeal, or a version of it, while relieving ourselves. It appears that the instructions apply equally, if not more so, to lifeboat maintenance.

Here’s a tale from on of MAC’s USCG correspondents:

“We just had a ship drop its starboard lifeboat into the Houston Ship Channel during a Port State Control Exam. Luckily, no one was injured or killed. Our preliminary findings were that the Chief Mate ordered the falls/hooks greased and someone overrode the hydrostatic release while the boat was in the cradle and released the hooks to grease them and did not re-engage the falls.”

Engineers take note. You really don’t want your lifeboat to go down the toilet in the middle of a PSC inspection.