Approved Muster List

The Muster List is the vessel's master emergency assignment document. It assigns every crew member to a specific station and duty for each type of emergency — ensuring that the response is immediate, coordinated, and unambiguous regardless of the situation.

Role and objectives

The Muster List fulfils a dual purpose: it is a regulatory requirement under SOLAS Chapter III, Regulation 37, and a practical operational tool that eliminates ambiguity in a crisis. Every person on board — from the Master to the most junior crew member — must know their assigned station and duties before an emergency occurs, not during one.

Its core objectives are:

• Assign responsibilities — every crew member is allocated a specific emergency station (muster station, fire station, rescue boat, etc.) and a defined set of duties for each emergency type (fire, flooding, abandon ship, man overboard, etc.)
• Ensure coverage — the list accounts for all watch patterns and ensures no station is left unmanned regardless of which crew are on duty
• Support drills — the Muster List is the reference document for all emergency drills; it defines what each person is practising and being assessed against
• Facilitate familiarisation — new crew must be briefed on their muster assignments before or immediately upon joining the vessel, as required by SOLAS III/19 and ISM Code element 6

Maintenance

The Muster List is to be developed and maintained onboard by the Master and Safety Officer. It must be reviewed and updated whenever there is a change in crew, a change in the vessel's equipment, or following any drill or emergency that reveals a gap in coverage.

The working document is maintained as a spreadsheet (see download link above) and must reflect the current crew complement at all times.

Revision History