Survival Crafts

There are different types of lifeboats: open lifeboats, partly open lifeboats, and ordinarily closed lifeboats. There are closed lifeboats with a built-in fresh air system and closed lifeboats with a sprinkler system. Lifeboats onboard most yachts are closed and they are self-righting in the event of capsizing.

Lifeboats Onboard Tankers

Chemical tankers sailing with cargoes that emit toxic vapours or gases must carry closed lifeboats with a built-in fresh air supply. Tankers of more than 500 gross tons sailing with cargoes with a flashpoint below 60°C must carry closed lifeboats with sprinkler systems.

Capacity For Lifeboats on Cargo Ships

Everybody onboard must be able to be accommodated in one lifeboat. If the ship has a davit arrangement, there will be at least two lifeboats. However, everyone onboard must be able to be accommodated in a lifeboat if only one boat can be launched. There are special rules for passenger ship capacity; however, the size of the lifeboats is generally sufficient for every person onboard.

Launching Systems

There are two types of launching systems. 

• One system is a davit arrangement on the side of the ship – one on each side.
• The other is a free-fall arrangement on either the back or the side of the ship.

Launching of Lifeboat Using Davit

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to launch a lifeboat. Keep in mind that these are general instructions and may therefore vary from vessel to vessel. Learn the procedure for the lifeboat on your yacht. 

Firstly, start by inserting the drain plug(s), releasing boat lashings and preparing bowsing tackles. > Then you need to disconnect the battery charger and launch the embarkation ladder. > Lower boat to embarkation deck, rig bowsing tackles and release tricing pendants. You can now board the lifeboat. > Close all hatches & openings and fasten seat belts. > It is now time to start the engine, launch the lifeboat to water by operating the brake, release the hooks and steer away from the vessel. 

When launching a conventional lifeboat, lifejackets must be worn at all times.

Launching of Lifeboat by Free-Fall Method

This is how to launch a free-fall lifeboat. Firstly, release the boat lashings, and disconnect the battery charger. Board the lifeboat, and close all hatches and openings. Fasten seat belts as soon as possible. Start the engine, release the lifeboat according to the procedure and steer away from the vessel.

When launching a free-fall lifeboat, lifejackets must be carried but not put on.

Precautions While Launching Lifeboats

The launching of a lifeboat is an operation connected with a lot of hazards, but it may be your last hope, so trust in the procedure. Some precautions have to be taken to ensure personal safety while launching lifeboats. Remember that the davit and wire falls include moving parts. 

Keep clear of all equipment to avoid entanglement. If stabiliser fins are fitted on the yacht, these must be taken in so they cannot damage the lifeboat. You must know how to prevent the discharge of water into the lifeboat while the vessel is being abandoned. 

Lifeboat Drills

Lifeboats are required to be lowered to the water and released once every three months. A lot of accidents have happened while launching lifeboats during drills onboard ships. As a result of this and since no person should be injured during a drill, SOLAS no longer requires any persons to be onboard the lifeboat when it is lowered during drills. To be able to carry out a complete lifeboat drill, including manoeuvring, there are recommended procedures for a davit-launched lifeboat. 

The lifeboat should be lowered to the water and the assigned operating crew can embark on it via the embarkation ladder. Hoist the lifeboat 2-3 meters and lower it again from inside the boat, for ships that are equipped with a free-fall lifeboat, the same procedure is applicable, except that it does not need to hoist the boat and lower it again.

Boarding of a Lifeboat

The most important when abandoning a ship and boarding the lifeboats is to do it without getting wet. Boarding a lifeboat can be done in different ways. Either by climbing down a ladder on the side of the vessel or by boarding at the place where the lifeboat is placed or from an embarkation deck to which it is lowered.

If it is necessary to go into the water to board the boat or raft, it is essential to remember a few things. 

• Never jump into the water headfirst – always jump legs first.
• Hold on to your lifejacket with one hand and cover your nose and mouth with the other hand.
• Do not jump down into the lifeboat – jump into the water as close to the boat as possible.
• Do not jump into the water astern of the lifeboat in case there is any remaining headway on the ship.

Keep in mind that, to board a lifeboat from the water level is difficult and requires assistance from other persons onboard.

Liferafts

There are two main types of liferafts onboard vessels; Inflatable Liferaft and Rigid Liferaft.

An Inflatable Liferaft

An Inflatable Liferaft has to be inflated before use. A painter line is used to activate a gas cylinder, which starts the inflation.

A Rigid Liferaft

A Rigid Liferaft is a raft where the buoyancy is provided by inherently buoyant material. This means that the life raft is stowed in its actual size onboard and does not need to be inflated. 

Liferafts in general can be either davit launched or designed for manual handling. When using a davit-launched liferaft, care must be taken to ensure that lowering will be possible under challenging conditions as well as in the event of a blackout.

A Hydrostatic Release Unit (HRU) will get activated automatically when a certain condition is met. This means that the liferaft is not released and inflated by the crew, it will be released and inflated automatically with the aid of the hydrostatic release if the vessel sinks. The hydrostatic release automatically releases the container, housing the raft, when the apparatus reaches a water depth of 2-4 meters. The container will then float up. The liferaft is inflated and released automatically when the sinking vessel has pulled out the painter.

Capacity for Liferafts

There must be space to accommodate the entire crew in the rafts on one side or if the rafts can be moved from one side to the other, space to fit the whole crew in all rafts. Given this requirement, the vessel will typically be equipped with liferafts equivalent to the total crew capacity on each side. On vessels where the distance from the accommodation to bow and stern exceeds 100 meters, there must be a six-person liferaft forward and aft. Modern passenger ships have partly covered motorised lifeboats on each side. These can, however, be partially or entirely replaced by davit-launched liferafts or rafts operated by a marine evacuation system (MES). They also have MOB (man overboard) boats and reserve capacity in liferafts.

Rescue Boats

There are three different types of rescue boats. It can be a motorised lifeboat if it meets all of the requirements of section 5.1 of the Life Saving Appliances Code (LSA Code), referring to the construction and equipment of a rescue boat. It can also be a purpose-built boat, of rigid or inflated construction, or a combination of both. Lastly, it can be an FRB (Fast Rescue Boat).

Requirements of a Rescue Boat

According to the requirements of section 5.1 of the LSA Code, yachts of 500 gross tons and over shall carry at least one rescue boat on each side of the ship. Yachts of less than 500 gross tons but carrying more than 12 persons shall carry at least one rescue boat. A lifeboat may be accepted as a rescue boat provided it also complies with the requirements for a rescue boat. Cargo ships shall carry at least one rescue boat.

Lifeboat as Rescue Boat

A lifeboat may be accepted as a rescue boat, provided that it meets all of the requirements of section 5.1 in the LSA Code and completes the testing for a rescue boat required in regulation III/4.2 in SOLAS. The stowage, launching and recovery arrangements on the vessel must also meet all of the requirements for a rescue boat.