IC Brindle Understanding Man Overboard (MOB) Recovery Equipment & Methods (2026 Guide)

The Importance of MOB Recovery Procedures

Recovering a person overboard is one of the most critical emergency operations carried out at sea. When a person falls overboard, the crew must be able to locate, approach, and safely recover the casualty as quickly as possible.

Man overboard (MOB) incidents refer to situations where a person falls into the water and requires immediate recovery and rescue.

International maritime guidance recognises that recovery operations must minimise injury to both the casualty and rescuers. Ships are therefore required to have procedures and equipment ready for these situations.

Under SOLAS Regulation III/17-1, all ships must carry ship-specific plans and procedures for recovering persons from the water, including identifying the equipment used and methods of recovery.

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) further explains under IMO MSC.1/Circ.1447 that recovery procedures should be designed to safely transfer a person from the water to the vessel while minimising impact with the ship’s side and reducing risk to the crew.

Recovery plans should “facilitate the transfer of persons from the water to the ship while minimising the risk of injury from impact with the ship’s side or other structures, including the recovery appliance itself,” and, where practicable, recovery in a horizontal or near-horizontal position should be provided.

MOB Recovery Strategy Overview

Man overboard recovery is determined by three key factors:

Casualty condition (conscious, injured, unconscious, hypothermic)
Vessel freeboard and access conditions
Available crew and onboard equipment

From this, recovery operations generally fall into three categories:

Assisted recovery (conscious casualty)
Mechanical extraction recovery (restricted access / high freeboard)
Horizontal recovery (injured, unconscious, or high-risk casualty)

Unassisted Recovery (Low Freeboard / Conscious Casualty can Climb)

A Fast Rescue Craft - Using a Rescue Net

Where vessel freeboard is low and conditions allow, a conscious casualty may be able to go unassisted in their own recovery, typically by climbing up a cradle, net or ladder. Where applicable, man overboard equipment, such as a scramble or cradle can also enable a conscious casualty to climb aboard even in higher freeboard situations, provided sea conditions, casualty condition, and vessel movement allow a safe and controlled ascent.

This method is common on:

Small workboats
Pilot boats
Rigid inflatable boats (RIBs)
Fishing vessels

Typical equipment used includes:

Boarding ladders or rope ladders
Pilot ladders or embarkation ladders
Scramble nets or rescue nets
Recovery poles or boat hooks
Smaller / FRC MOB Cradles (which can be used to climb if casualty is fit and able or parbuckled if unable)

These methods allow a conscious casualty to assist with their own recovery, significantly reducing recovery time.

However, assisted recovery is not suitable where the casualty is:

injured or immobilised
unconscious or hypothermic
unable to climb due to sea state or vessel freeboard

In such cases, crew may use simple guiding aids such as rescue poles or hooks to assist positioning at the vessel side, or help guide the injured or immobilised casualty into a recovery cradle where assisted recovery onto the deck is required.

Smaller fast rescue craft (FRC) style cradles can be used in low freeboard situations to support and stabilise an incapacitated casualty during recovery, allowing controlled lifting even where freeboard is limited, for example on a RIB or similar small craft.

High Freeboard Man Overboard Recovery

SB Rescue Sling Used from High-Sided Vessel

Where direct boarding is not practical due to high freeboard or the layout of the vessel, mechanical lifting systems are used in combination with high-sided rescue equipment such as an SB Rescue Sling for vertical recovery or a cradle recovery stretcher for horizontal recovery, ensuring controlled and secure casualty handling.

This method is common on:

Commercial vessels and ferries
Offshore support vessels
Large pilot boats
Ships with deck freeboards over 2–3 metres

Typical equipment used includes:

Rescue slings and lifting strops
Winches and handy billy systems
Davits and cranes
Recovery harnesses
Larger MOB Cradles
Scramble Nets (if casualty is able to climb)

The casualty is lifted from the water using controlled mechanical force, often with guidance from crew using rescue poles or hooks to assist positioning. This method is used in high freeboard situations where direct access alongside the vessel makes casualty self-recovery impractical, and where vertical lifting systems such as handy-billy systems, winches, and davits—combined with rescue slings or davit-launched rescue stretchers—are required to recover the casualty safely from the water.

If access allows, cradles can also be scaled for higher freeboard vessels, with larger length rescue cradle systems designed for high-sided vessels and large commercial or offshore freeboards. In suitable configurations where the cradle can be safely fitted and deployed from the vessel side, recovery may be carried out without the need for a davit system, using controlled line handling and parbuckling to bring the casualty aboard in a horizontal or near-horizontal position.

Horizontal Recovery (Preferred Primary Method)

A Recovery Stretcher - Use for Horizontal MOB Rescue

Horizontal recovery systems are generally the preferred method where practicable, as they provide continuous full-body support and significantly reduce the risk of secondary injury or circum rescue collapse. This is particularly important in reducing often fatal complications associated with the recovery of immersion casualties (NCCWS)

This method is widely used on:

Offshore support vessels
Search and rescue vessels
Wind farm support craft
Harbour and pilot vessels

Typical equipment includes:

Rescue cradles
Recovery stretchers
Parbuckling systems
Integrated lifting frames

These systems maintain the casualty in a horizontal or near-horizontal position throughout recovery, allowing immediate medical assessment and treatment once on deck.

Horizontal systems are particularly effective for:

unconscious casualties
hypothermic casualties
immobilised or injured casualties
situations where crew numbers are limited

Parbuckling is a commonly used horizontal recovery technique and is described in more detail in the following section:

Parbuckling Method (Horizontal Recovery Technique)

This man overboard lifting technique often incorporates a mechanical advantage system (such as 2:1 rigging), allowing one or two crew members to recover a casualty with reduced physical effort.

A man overboard cradle is typically deployed over the vessel side, and as the casualty is positioned within it, the system is hauled in a controlled rolling motion up the hull.

This provides:

reduced lifting load
continuous horizontal support
controlled recovery with minimal crew
improved casualty stability during lift

This method can be used across both low and high freeboard vessels, with cradle size selected to suit the operating environment. Smaller, fast rescue craft-type cradles are typically used on low freeboard vessels for rapid deployment and quick recovery, whilst larger, extended-length cradle systems are used on high-sided vessels and larger commercial or offshore freeboards where additional reach and support are required.

Vertical Man Overboard Recovery

Vertical lifting systems are used where vessel design or operating conditions prevent safe horizontal or alongside recovery, or where mechanical lifting is required to bring the casualty to deck.

Typical vertical lifting MOB systems include:

Rescue slings and strops
Davits and cranes
Winch and lifting systems
Helicopter recovery systems

These systems are effective for extracting casualties from the water where vessel design or sea state prevents safe direct recovery alongside the hull.

Vertical lifting is best understood as an extraction method rather than a final recovery position, and is most effective for lifting a casualty who is still conscious and able to assist, where a rescue sling can be positioned under the arms, or the casualty can be supported in a lifting strop during vertical recovery to deck.

This can be carried out using manual pulley systems attached to the rescue sling or strop, or via powered or mechanical davits, depending on vessel equipment and configuration.

Where equipment design allows, vertical lifting systems may be integrated with horizontal recovery equipment to improve stability and casualty control during transfer.

However, horizontal recovery remains the preferred method where practicable, due to reduced risk of physiological complications, including rescue collapse (circulatory instability), particularly in hypothermic or otherwise compromised casualties.

Key Takeaway for Man Overboard Rescue Equipment

Effective man overboard recovery depends on selecting the correct method based on casualty condition, vessel design, and operational constraints.

Assisted recovery is suitable for conscious casualties on low freeboard vessels where self-recovery is possible using ladders, scramble nets, or similar access equipment
Mechanical extraction is used where vessel freeboard, geometry, or access limitations prevent direct boarding or assisted recovery, typically using slings, winches, or davit systems
Horizontal recovery is the preferred method where practicable due to continuous full-body support and reduced risk of physiological complications during recovery, including rescue collapse and circulatory instability, particularly in hypothermic or injured casualties
Vertical systems are used where direct horizontal recovery cannot be achieved at the point of extraction and may be integrated with horizontal recovery equipment where design allows controlled casualty transfer and improved stability during handling
Supporting equipment such as throwing lines, lifebuoys, rescue poles, stretchers, and hypothermia protection plays a critical role in stabilising the casualty during recovery and preventing further deterioration

Supporting equipment such as throwing lines, lifebuoys, rescue poles, stretchers, and hypothermia protection plays a critical role in stabilising the casualty during recovery.

All procedures and equipment must comply with SOLAS requirements and IMO MSC.1/Circ.1447 guidance.