Liberia has started a Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on shipboard safety items. A CIC is a focused check on selected safety points during inspections. The Liberia Maritime Authority published Marine Advisory 25/2026 on 4 November 2026.
The campaign helps crews find problems with fire safety and life-saving appliances before a Port State Control (PSC) inspection. PSC is when another country's inspectors check a foreign ship in their port.
Who must fill in the checklist
The Master and the Chief Engineer must complete the CIC questionnaire before any Liberian flag inspection. This includes annual, bi-annual and quarterly safety inspections. It also includes special safety inspections, ISM, ISPS and MLC audits, and hazardous material inspections.
A copy of the completed checklist must be given to the Liberian flag inspector before the inspection starts.
What the checklist covers
The questionnaire combines document checks, physical checks, safe operational tests and crew questions. Inspectors and crews should look at fire detection, fire doors, dampers and fire pumps. They should also check fixed fire systems, lifeboats, launching appliances and personal life-saving gear.
Crew must be able to explain and show their emergency duties. Certificates and the Record of Equipment must match the gear that is actually on board.
Safety during tests
Do not run operational tests during cargo work, bunkering, passenger operations or other work that makes the test unsafe.
The Master and Chief Engineer should agree the time and the safeguards for each test.
Follow the maker's instructions, the ship's safety procedures, risk assessments and lockout or isolation rules.
If a serious problem affects fire safety or the ability to abandon ship, stop unsafe testing. Put compensating measures in place. Tell the company and contact the LISCR Duty Officer.
What Liberia may do if answers are No
Serious deficiencies may lead to an expanded inspection or a demand for immediate corrective action. They may also lead to a dispensation letter, a class actionable item, or detention. Liberian inspectors should also record CIC findings under Deficiency Code 7130.
What to do now if you sail under the Liberian flag
Download Marine Advisory 25/2026 and the CIC questionnaire from the Liberian Registry (LISCR) website before your next flag inspection.
Walk the ship with the Chief Engineer. Mark Yes only when you have checked records, condition, a safe test or a crew demonstration.
Fix problems before arrival. Note the defect, who is responsible, the risk control and the proof of completion.
If you cannot fix an item, tell shore management at once and ask the Administration for guidance when needed.
Keep certificates, service reports, maintenance records, drill records and defect reports ready for the inspector.
Read related Crewboard posts on Liberia's heavy-weather deck warning and a laundry fire that destroyed a chemical tanker.
Compare pay for senior ranks on Master salaries and Chief Engineer salaries. Official help lines are in Crewboard's useful links.
Cover photo: A U.S. Coast Guard chief petty officer explains fire-fighting equipment during a drill in the Atlantic Ocean on 19 July 2011. Illustrative photo, not linked to this Liberian advisory. Photo: Petty Officer 2nd Class Etta Smith, U.S. Coast Guard / Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Sources: Liberia Maritime Authority / LISCR: Marine Advisory 25/2026 — Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Shipboard Safety Items (4 Nov 2026), World Ports Organization: Liberia launches CIC targeting shipboard safety deficiencies (5 Nov 2026).
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