Wael.T See which mooring records shipowners should keep under SOLAS II-1/3-8 and IMO MSC.1/Circ.1620, with retention and traceability guidance.
For UAE and GCC shipowners asking what records should be kept in a ship mooring maintenance plan under SOLAS II-1/3-8 and IMO MSC.1/Circ.1620, the practical answer is: maintain controlled documentation for line identification and traceability, inspections, maintenance and replacement, equipment and fitting upkeep, manufacturer certificates and criteria, original design information, and the applicable towing and mooring arrangements plan.
This guide is intended for shipowners, ISM Companies, ship managers, technical superintendents, masters and onboard maintenance teams. The IMO’s Safe Mooring guidance confirms that amended SOLAS regulation II-1/3-8 entered into force on 1 January 2024 and identifies MSC.1/Circ.1620 as the guideline for inspecting and maintaining mooring equipment, including lines. The SOLAS obligation is implemented through the vessel’s flag Administration; MSC.1/Circ.1620 provides supporting recommendations rather than a complete, ship-specific legal checklist.
Which records and controlled documents should be kept?
The table below consolidates the principal documentation described by MSC.1/Circ.1620. It is non-exhaustive operational guidance and does not replace current flag-state or recognized-organization instructions.
| Record or controlled document | What it should cover | Update or retention point | Source basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line and attachment control record | The number, type and location of mooring lines, tails and associated attachments, with a means of linking identifiable items to relevant records and manufacturer certificates where available. | Keep current as the onboard inventory or location changes. | MSC.1/Circ.1620, paragraph 3.3.1 |
| Line, tail and attachment inspection records | Company-selected inspection information that takes account of manufacturer recommendations, previous operational experience and routine environmental exposure. | Record planned inspections. The Company sets the retention period, but records should remain onboard until completion of the next annual survey. | Paragraphs 4.1 and 6.1 |
| Line maintenance and replacement records | Maintenance performed and the replacement of lines assessed as no longer suitable for service under the manufacturer’s criteria. | Update following relevant maintenance or replacement. Apply the paragraph 6.1 retention rule. | Paragraphs 4.2, 4.3 and 6.1 |
| Equipment and fitting inspection and maintenance records | Records for relevant winches, capstans, bollards, bitts, fairleads, rollers, chocks and other mooring equipment and fittings. | Keep available onboard and update after applicable inspection or maintenance. | Paragraph 4.4 |
| Manufacturers’ test certificates | Certificates for mooring lines, joining shackles and synthetic tails, properly linked to the corresponding equipment. | Keep onboard and preserve traceability when equipment is received or replaced. | Paragraph 6.2 |
| Manufacturer recommendations and replacement criteria | Product-specific inspection, condition-assessment and removal criteria used by the Company. | Keep the applicable information available and review it when products or specifications change. | Paragraphs 4.1.2, 4.3 and 6.3; LR Class News 15/2023 |
| Original design records | The original design concept, equipment, arrangement and specifications, where available. | Retain onboard throughout the ship’s life cycle. | Paragraph 4.4.4 |
| Towing and mooring arrangements plan | The vessel’s applicable arrangement and mooring-line configuration. | Update following any configuration change. Replacement with a component of the same original specification is not treated as a configuration change by the circular’s definition. | Paragraph 6.4 and definition 2.7 |
MSC.1/Circ.1620 does not prescribe one universal inspection form, fixed inspection interval or identical set of record fields for every line type. The Company should determine what is recorded by considering the relevant manufacturer’s recommendations and the equipment installed onboard.
Worked traceability example
Assume an identifiable mooring line is assessed as unsuitable under its manufacturer’s removal criteria. The Company records the inspection outcome and replacement, updates the line-control record and links the replacement line to its available manufacturer’s certificate.
If the replacement has the same specification as the original component, MSC.1/Circ.1620 does not treat that replacement alone as a change to the mooring-line configuration. If a different specification changes the configuration, the towing and mooring arrangements plan must be updated. This is a traceability example, not an IMO-prescribed form.
Superintendent’s onboard file-review checklist
Use this as non-exhaustive operational guidance:
- Confirm that the number, type and location of lines, tails and associated attachments are recorded.
- Check that identifiable items can be linked to their relevant inspection and maintenance records.
- Link manufacturer certificates to the corresponding lines, joining shackles and synthetic tails where available.
- Verify that periodic line, tail and attachment inspections are included in the maintenance plan or equivalent system.
- Confirm that mooring equipment and fittings are included in the maintenance system and that records are available onboard.
- Make the applicable manufacturer inspection and replacement criteria available to the responsible personnel.
- Retain inspection and maintenance records through completion of at least the next annual survey, or longer where the Company, flag Administration or recognized organization requires it.
- Review the towing and mooring arrangements plan following each configuration change.
- Retain available original design, arrangement and specification records throughout the vessel’s life cycle.
An onboard maintenance plan or equivalent maintenance management system may be computer-based, provided the controlled information remains available onboard.
Survey preparation and legacy-vessel issues
Lloyd’s Register Class News 15/2023 advises owners and managers to establish procedures for mooring operations, equipment inspection and maintenance, line identification and control, and periodic line inspections. It also says manufacturer replacement criteria and original design records should be available.
For LR-classed vessels, the notice said confirmation began with initial surveys completed on or after 1 January 2024 for new ships, the first applicable Cargo Ship Safety Construction survey on or after that date for existing cargo ships, or the Passenger Ship Safety survey for existing passenger ships. This is LR implementation guidance, not a universal survey schedule for every recognized organization.
LR also identifies documentation challenges for ships built before 1 January 2007, which may lack the original design concept or related records. Owners should not reconstruct design data or equipment limits without suitable technical review. Confirm the ship-specific approach with the flag Administration and the vessel’s recognized organization.
Responsibilities and outside service providers
MSC.1/Circ.1620 assigns its procedural recommendations to the “Company” as defined by SOLAS regulation IX/1.2. Confirm which legal entity is recorded as the vessel’s ISM Company rather than inferring responsibility from commercial labels. A shipowner, shipping line, ship manager, ship agent and freight forwarder perform different functions; those descriptions alone do not establish who controls the onboard maintenance system.
Buyers seeking software or maintenance-system support can compare providers in the Planned Maintenance Program directory. Equipment buyers can also review the Deck & Quayside Mooring Equipments Suppliers directory.
The directory also contains a listing for Technomak Ship Repair LLC-Dubai that describes towing and mooring arrangement work among its activities. Directory presence proves only that a listing exists; it is not an endorsement or evidence of current licensing, approval or service capability. Before appointment, confirm the proposed scope, vessel-type experience, flag and class interface, certificate-traceability process and ability to return controlled records to the shipowner.
How long should mooring inspection and maintenance records remain onboard?
MSC.1/Circ.1620 says the Company determines the retention period, but the records should in every case be kept until completion of the next annual survey. A flag Administration, recognized organization or Company procedure may require longer retention.
Must every mooring line be linked to a manufacturer’s certificate?
The circular recommends a means of linking specific lines, tails and associated attachments to relevant records and to a manufacturer’s certificate where available. That qualification is important for legacy equipment with missing original documentation.
When must the towing and mooring arrangements plan be updated?
The plan should be updated following any change to the mooring-line configuration. Under the circular’s definition, replacing a component with one having the same specification as the original configuration is not itself a configuration change.
Can mooring maintenance records be kept electronically?
Yes. MSC.1/Circ.1620 says the onboard maintenance plan or equivalent maintenance management system may be computer-based. The relevant controlled information and records should remain available onboard.
Is this a complete SOLAS compliance checklist?
No. It is non-exhaustive operational guidance based on IMO MSC.1/Circ.1620 and the cited LR implementation notice. Confirm current, ship-specific requirements with the vessel’s flag Administration and recognized organization.