The Hydrostatic Release Unit

If a ship sinks and no controlled embarkation to a Liferaft was possible, it is of utmost importance the Liferafts can surface and save lives. This lesson will show you the function of a SOLAS-approved Hydrostatic Release Unit (HRU). The HRU makes sure the Liferaft is securely lashed to the deck when the ship is in normal operation and that the Liferafts are freed in case the worst would happen, the ship goes down. The HRUs are also applied to other relevant equipment such as the EPIRB, Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, and sometimes to the ship's VDR, Voyage Data Recorder.