Which equipment must be stripped, cleaned, and overhauled at least once every two years?

• A. Lifeboat engines
• B. Fire fighting equipment
• C. Rescue equipment
• D. Lifeboats, rescue boats, and rigid-type liferafts

Answer: (D)

Biennial overhaul is required for survival craft to ensure they will work reliably in an emergency. The equipment that must be stripped, cleaned, and overhauled at least once every two years includes lifeboats, rescue boats, and rigid-type liferafts. This schedule comes from SOLAS requirements, which mandate a comprehensive, end-to-end service of these items to verify the integrity of the hull or buoyant canister, canopy or rigid hull, release gear, painter lines, and any launching devices, and to service any engines or mechanical components inside lifeboats or rescue boats. Regular thorough checks catch wear, corrosion, fabric deterioration, or faulty inflation and sea-worthiness before they’re needed in a real rescue.

Fire fighting equipment and other rescue equipment follow their own maintenance regimes, with extinguishers typically receiving inspections and hydrostatic tests on specific intervals (not a blanket two-year overhaul), and other rescue gear undergoing routine inspections rather than a full teardown every two years.