Blog Post
How to Choose a Liferaft Service Station in India: What to Check Before You Book
Posted By: Harsh Bamnolia
Posted On : 18-Mar-2026
How to Choose a Liferaft Service Station in India: What to Check Before You Book
Choosing the wrong liferaft service station in India is more costly than choosing no station at all. A certificate issued by a non-approved facility carries no legal weight under SOLAS — and when a PSC officer at Kandla, Mumbai, or Chennai checks that certificate and finds the issuing station is not manufacturer-approved or class-recognised, the result is a deficiency finding as serious as if no service had been done at all.
Yet vessels routinely arrive at Indian ports with liferaft certificates from uncertified providers. This happens not because ship managers are careless but because the marketplace for liferaft servicing in India includes providers who present themselves as approved without being genuinely authorised. Knowing exactly what to verify — and what questions to ask before booking — is the practical protection against this risk.
This guide covers every check a ship manager or superintendent should carry out before choosing a liferaft service station in India, what the relevant approvals mean and how to verify them, and what a genuinely compliant liferaft service looks like from start to finish.
Why the Service Station's Approval Status Matters So Much
SOLAS Regulation III/20.8 does not simply require liferaft servicing — it requires servicing at an approved service station. The word approved has a specific technical meaning in this context. It means the facility has been assessed by the liferaft manufacturer, found to meet the manufacturer's requirements for equipment, tooling, space, parts supply, and technician training, and formally authorised to conduct servicing on the manufacturer's equipment on behalf of the manufacturer.
This matters because inflatable liferafts are complex safety-critical equipment. The inflation gas system, the canopy seams, the repacking sequence, the HRU fitting — every step of the service must be performed exactly as the manufacturer specifies using manufacturer-approved parts and equipment. A general marine workshop or ship repair yard, however competent in other areas, does not have the manufacturer's specific training, tooling, and parts supply chain to conduct a compliant liferaft service. Only a manufacturer-approved facility does.
From the PSC officer's perspective, a service certificate from a non-approved station is not a valid service record. The certificate may look professional and may carry official-looking logos, but if the station that issued it cannot produce a current manufacturer approval certificate and class society recognition, the document is worthless for compliance purposes.
The Five Checks Before Booking Any Liferaft Service Station in India
Check 1: Manufacturer Approval
The most important verification is whether the service station holds a current, valid approval from the manufacturer of your specific liferaft brand. This approval must be:
Brand-specific — a station approved to service Viking liferafts is not automatically approved for Survitec or Jiangyin Neptune liferafts. If your vessel carries liferafts from multiple manufacturers, your service station must hold individual approvals for each brand.
Current — manufacturer approvals are not permanent. They are issued for defined periods and must be renewed. Ask the service station to provide the actual approval certificate, not a verbal assurance. Check the issue date and expiry date on the document.
Genuine — the manufacturer's name, the station's name, and the date on the approval certificate must match the station you are booking. A certificate made out to a different company, or a photocopy without an original, is not acceptable evidence.
Major liferaft brands commonly found on vessels calling at Indian ports include Survitec (which encompasses Zodiac, RFD, and Beaufort), Viking, Jiangyin Neptune, Lalizas, and Norsafe. A reputable service station will hold approvals for multiple brands and will be able to produce each certificate on request without hesitation.
Check 2: DG Shipping Approval
Any liferaft service station operating in India must hold a valid approval from the Directorate General of Shipping. This is the Indian government's primary certification for marine safety service providers and is non-negotiable for work conducted on vessels operating in Indian waters.
The DGS approval certificate should be current, list the specific services covered, and be displayed or available at the service station. When a PSC officer under the Indian Ocean MOU reviews a liferaft service certificate, DGS-approved origin is one of the first things they verify. A certificate from a station without DGS approval will not satisfy Indian flag vessels and is treated with significant scepticism for foreign flag vessels by Indian PSC surveyors.
Check 3: Classification Society Recognition
Beyond manufacturer approval and DGS certification, the service station must be recognised by the classification society of the vessel being serviced. If your vessel is classed with Lloyd's Register, DNV GL, ABS, Bureau Veritas, IRS, NKK, RINA, CCS, or Korean Register, the service station must hold a current recognition certificate from that specific society.
Class society recognition means the society has assessed the station's facilities, technicians, and quality systems against their own standards and found them acceptable for the purpose of issuing service certificates that the society will recognise. Without this recognition, the service certificate produced by the station cannot be accepted by the class surveyor at the vessel's next annual or renewal survey.
Ask the service station for their class society recognition certificates before booking. A station that holds DGS approval and manufacturer authorisation but lacks class society recognition will produce a certificate that fails at the next class survey — another form of expensive non-compliance that looks like compliance until it isn't.
Check 4: Technician Certification
Manufacturer approval applies to the facility — the technicians working in that facility must also be individually certified by the manufacturer to conduct liferaft servicing. This is separate from the facility approval. The individual technician who services your liferaft must hold a current certificate from the manufacturer showing they have completed the manufacturer's technician training programme for the specific liferaft brand and model.
When the service engineer arrives on board or when the liferaft arrives at the service station, you are entitled to ask for the technician's personal certification. A reputable station will provide this without any difficulty. If the station cannot identify who will service your liferaft or cannot provide that technician's certification, that is a warning sign that the service may not be conducted by a qualified individual even if the facility holds the right approvals.
Check 5: Parts and Consumables Supply Chain
A compliant liferaft service requires manufacturer-approved spare parts — replacement valves, seals, inflation gas cylinders, repair patches, retro-reflective tape, pyrotechnics, and other consumables that must be replaced during every service. These parts must be sourced from the manufacturer or the manufacturer's authorised distributor. Using non-original parts in a liferaft service voids the service certificate and may void the liferaft's type approval.
Ask the service station where their spare parts come from and whether they can confirm original manufacturer provenance. A station that sources parts from generic marine suppliers rather than through the manufacturer's authorised distribution chain is not conducting a compliant service regardless of its other certifications.
What to Ask When Requesting a Quotation
When contacting a liferaft service station in India for a quotation, these are the specific questions that will reveal whether the station is genuinely approved or simply presenting itself as such.
Ask them to confirm which liferaft brands they are currently approved to service and to provide copies of the manufacturer approval certificates for each brand. Ask for their DGS approval certificate. Ask for their class society recognition certificates — all of them — and confirm that the relevant society for your vessel's class is included. Ask which technician will conduct the service and for a copy of that technician's personal manufacturer certification. Ask whether they stock original manufacturer-approved spare parts and can provide evidence of source.
A genuinely approved station will answer all of these questions readily and provide the supporting documentation without resistance. A station that deflects, offers reassurances instead of documents, or suggests that verification is unnecessary is not a station you should entrust with your vessel's liferafts.
Red Flags That Indicate a Non-Approved Station
Beyond the formal checks, there are practical warning signs that experienced ship managers learn to recognise.
A price that is significantly lower than other stations in the same port area is one of the most consistent indicators of non-compliance. Genuine manufacturer-approved servicing has a cost baseline driven by the manufacturer's parts pricing and technician training requirements. A station offering the same service at a materially lower price is almost certainly cutting corners somewhere — typically on parts, on technician qualification, or on the thoroughness of the service itself.
A service certificate that is vague, lacks detail, or does not identify the specific technician, the liferaft serial number, every item checked, or the next service due date is another red flag. Compliant service certificates are detailed documents, not single-page forms with a stamp and a signature.
A station that cannot produce its manufacturer approvals or class society recognition certificates on request — or that asks you to trust verbal assurances instead of providing documents — should not be used regardless of how conveniently located they are or how low their price is.
How to Verify Approval Status Independently
If you want to verify a service station's approval status independently of what the station tells you, there are several ways to do this.
Contact the liferaft manufacturer directly. Survitec, Viking, and other major manufacturers maintain lists of their approved service stations globally. If the station you are considering is not on the manufacturer's approved station list, they are not approved, regardless of what they claim. Manufacturer contact details for service station verification are available on the manufacturer's website or through their regional representative for India.
Contact your class society's India office. DNV GL, Lloyd's Register, ABS, Bureau Veritas, and IRS all have offices in India and can confirm whether a specific service station holds current recognition from their society.
Check with the DGS. The Directorate General of Shipping maintains records of approved marine service providers in India and can confirm the approval status of a facility if you have a specific query.
What a Compliant Liferaft Service Certificate Should Contain
Even if you cannot verify the service station's approvals before the service is conducted, examining the certificate produced after the service will reveal whether it meets the standard a PSC officer will expect.
A compliant service certificate must identify the liferaft manufacturer and model, the serial number of the liferaft serviced, the date the service was conducted, the name and address of the service station, the name of the technician who conducted the service, a statement that the service was conducted in accordance with the manufacturer's service manual, details of any items replaced during the service including HRU replacement if applicable, the next service due date, and the authorising signature of a responsible person at the station.
It should also carry evidence of the service station's approvals — the DGS approval number, the class society recognition, or a direct reference to the manufacturer approval under which the service was conducted. A certificate that contains all of these elements is almost certainly from a compliant service — one that is missing several of them is worth questioning before it is filed in the vessel's records.
Why Marinetech Is an Approved Liferaft Service Station in India
Marinetech Safety & Shipping Corporation holds manufacturer approvals for all major liferaft brands serviced on vessels calling at Indian ports. We are DG Shipping approved and hold current class society recognition from ABS, DNV GL, Bureau Veritas, Lloyd's Register, IRS, NKK, RINA, CCS, and Korean Register. Every technician who conducts liferaft servicing at Marinetech holds a current personal certification from the relevant liferaft manufacturer.
Our service stations use only original manufacturer-approved spare parts sourced directly through the manufacturer's authorised supply chain. Every service certificate we issue meets the full documentation standard described above — the certificate that comes from Marinetech will satisfy a PSC officer, a class surveyor, and a DGS inspector without question. View our full class society approvals and certifications.
We operate across all major Indian ports — Mumbai, JNPT, Kandla, Mundra, Hazira, Dahej, Cochin, Chennai, Vizag, Kolkata, Haldia, and Paradip — with service teams based regionally to deliver fast turnaround times suited to each port's operational character.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out which service stations are approved for my liferaft brand in India?
Contact the manufacturer directly — Survitec, Viking, and other major brands maintain global lists of their approved service stations. Alternatively, contact Marinetech and provide your liferaft brand and model — we will confirm our authorisation status for your specific equipment and arrange the service at your preferred Indian port.
What happens if a PSC officer finds our liferaft was serviced at a non-approved station?
The liferaft is treated as unserviced for SOLAS compliance purposes. The vessel will receive a deficiency code and may be detained until the liferaft is re-serviced at a genuinely approved station. The original certificate from the non-approved station has no value in resolving the deficiency.
Can we change liferaft service providers between annual services?
Yes. There is no requirement to use the same service station every year. The new service station must be approved for your liferaft brand and must produce its own certificate — it cannot endorse or extend a certificate from a previous provider. When changing providers, ensure the new station is aware of any outstanding items from the previous service record.
Is a manufacturer-approved service station the same as an authorised dealer?
Not necessarily. A manufacturer may have authorised dealers who sell liferafts but are not approved to service them. Servicing approval requires specific facility equipment, tooling, and technician training that is separate from the sales authorisation. Always verify servicing approval specifically — not sales authorisation.
Does the service station need to be near our port of call?
The service is typically conducted at a shore-based service station rather than on board the vessel. The liferaft is transported from the vessel to the station and returned after service. The station does not need to be directly at the port but must be accessible within the vessel's port call window. Marinetech's regional service stations are positioned to provide quick turnaround at every major Indian port.
What is the difference between a liferaft service and a liferaft inspection?
A liferaft service is the full annual service conducted at an approved service station — inflation test, equipment check, repacking, HRU replacement as required, and certificate issuance. A liferaft inspection is a term sometimes used loosely to mean either the same thing or a more limited visual check. For SOLAS compliance purposes, the annual service at an approved station is the mandatory requirement. A visual inspection alone does not satisfy SOLAS.
Book Liferaft Servicing at an Approved Marinetech Station
Contact Marinetech Safety & Shipping Corporation to schedule your annual liferaft service at any major Indian port. Provide the number of liferafts, brand, model, serial numbers, and your vessel's expected port arrival date and we confirm availability and turnaround time within 24 hours.
Services email: info@marinetechss.com
Phone: +91-8866475732 | +91-72270 38216
Get a Free Quote for Liferaft Servicing
Related reading: Liferaft Servicing in India 2026: Complete Guide | Certified Lifeboat Servicing in India 2026 | How to Prepare for a PSC Inspection: Checklist 2026 | Lifeboat & Liferaft Servicing at Kandla, Mundra, Hazira & Dahej