Seafarers are dying needlessly in lifeboat accidents when maritime legislation doesn’t actually require vessels to be manned during drills.
InterManager, the international trade association for ship and crew managers, is raising awareness of this fact by highlighting a legislative change which means that it is not necessary for crew to be onboard when lifeboats are tested.
SOLAS regulation III/19.3.3.3 requires each lifeboat to be launched at...
Survitec optimises lifeboat inspections
Survitec enhances lifeboat inspection solution to deliver savings and flexibility for ship operators
Leading survival technology provider, Survitec, has relaunched its lifeboat inspection solution underpinned by the company’s novel ‘Hub and Spoke’ network model.
Lifeboat Inspection 402, devised in line with regulations mandated in 2020 under SOLAS Chapter III & IMO...
https://allaboutshipping.co.uk/2021/07/21/survitec-optimises-lifeboat-inspections/
Chances are that you have never boarded a lifeboat to date, except you are a seafarer who has performed lifeboat drills or someone who has found himself in the very unwelcome experience of a sinking ship, says an article published on Safety4Sea.
What we know about life boatsLifeboats save lives. Titanic had a limited number of lifeboats onboard because its construction was considered a technological miracle of safety and luxury. And this is why 1,500 out of the 2,200 people onboard perished in...
USCG Marine Safety Alert addresses the importance of checking for and replacing damaged control cables that operate between the release handle and hook in a lifeboat hook release system.
The IncidentThe Coast Guard is currently investigating a casualty involving the unintended on-load release of a lifeboat hook from a davit fall wire. Prior to the incident, damage was noted to a control cable between the release handle and one of the hooks.
However, the damaged cable remained in service. The...
https://mfame.guru/damaged-control-cables-lead-to-crew-casualty/
Maintaining safety in such conditions -where the panic of passengers for example, could adversely affect safety of the boat- is an extra challenging task, reminding that training in safe water can hardly prepare a mariner for the hazards encountered in...
The incident
Giovanni DP was on an ocean passage towards Antwerp, Belgium and the crew were all to carry out an abandon ship drill.
While carrying out a test of the...
The 7th session of IMO’s Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE) took place in London on 2-6 March 2020. Highlights of the meeting included agreement of draft new requirements for onboard lifting appliances, and on draft new interim guidelines for safe operation of shore power, as well as progressed work on ventilation of survival craft and on fire safety of ro-ro passenger ships.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) issued an investigation report on a lifeboat release hook failure during a drill on the passenger ferry ‘Northern Ranger’ in October 2017, which led to minor injuries. The failure was linked to poor compliance with SOLAS and operator’s manual.
The incident
On 11 October 2017, the starboard lifeboat of the passenger ferry Northern Ranger was undergoing operational testing at the dock in Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador, when its forward release hook...
In fact lifeboat teams from Dunbar and Anstruther joined their forces for the stranded vessel, under bad weather conditions.
The Ullapool-flagged fishing vessel unexpectedly lost its steering after its departure, close...
https://safety4sea.com/rnli-rescues-fishing-vessel-under-storm-ciara/
Image provided by Mats Ryde, SSRS, Exchange 2019
Lifeboat crews across Europe swap places
IMRF holds its 8th annual European Lifeboat Crew Exchange, where crew members swap places to learn about different equipment and gain experience in new locations.
The International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) has successfully held its eighth European Lifeboat Crew Exchange Programme, with 72 maritime search and rescue (SAR) professionals from 14 countries across Europe taking part.
The programme which...
http://www.allaboutshipping.co.uk/2019/10/10/lifeboat-crews-across-europe-swap-places/