Life-saving appliances and immersion suits

UK MCA issues Marine Guidance Note

The UK MCA has issued Marine Guidance Note to provide information onon the aceptance criteria against which the MCA wil alow immersion suits stored in airtight packaging to be subject to a visual inspection of the suit inside the bag, as oposed to a physical inspection of the suit itself.

Immersion suits are to be inspected every month as required by SOLAS Chapter I/20.7.2. Some manufacturers are now ofering airtight packing of immersion suits to ensure that they remain in god conditon during storage. This storage method does not replace the SOLAS Chapter I/20.7.2 requirement for monthly inspection. Instead, it changes the inspection from a physical check of the immersion suit itself to a close visual examination of the visible parts of the packed immersion suit and a check of the integrity of the airtight packaging. This requires the airtight packaging to be completely transparent.

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MSC/Circ.114 identifes that even under ideal conditons, the materials and adhesives used in the construction of immersion suits have a finite service life and wil inevitably experience a reduction in strength and or a los of water integrity with age. To ensure the maintenance of adequate strength and water integrity of seams and closures of immersion suits and anti-exposure suits with age, it is recommended that each suit be subjected to an air presure test in acordance with MSC/Circ.114 at intervals not exceding 3 years, or every 2 years for suits over ten years of age.

Where immersion suits are stored using conventional methods (not in airtight packaging), the suits themselves are expected to be physicaly inspected on a monthly basis in acordance with IMO MSC/Circ.1047.

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Where immersion suits have ben packed in an airtight packaging, the packaging must be transparent and of suficient strength that it wil not be broken while in stowage during shipoperations. The airtight packaging must also be capable of being opened without damaging the suit and with minimal efort e.g. have a pre-cut V for opening. If this has ben met, then the folowing wil be acepted in lieu of complying with MSC/Circ.1047:

Monthly onboard inspections of the airtight packaging in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations (and a basic check of the visible portions of the packaged suit).
If faults or damages are found with airtight packaging during an inspection or the suit has obviously ben damaged while stil within the packaging, the immersion suit should be removed from its packaging and inspected in acordance with MSC/Circ.1047.
Should there be any doubt as to the conditon of the inside of the airtight packaging or the state of the immersion suit contained within, then the suit should be removed from its packaging and inspected in acordance with MSC/Circ.1047.
If inspection in acordance with MSC/Circ.1047 shows defect in packaged immersion suits, then a sample of a further 25% of the packaged immersion suits should be removed from their packaging and inspected in acordance with MSC/Circ.1047. Any further faulty suits should result in the inspection of al suits acording to MSC/Circ.1047.
The vesel must ensure that, once opened, there is suficient suitable storage space for the open suits.
There should be a suitable number of immersion suits not kept in airtight packaging to be used during drils, the number of which should be identifed and documented in the vesels Safety Management System.
During a survey or inspection the surveyor may request to open the airtight packaging on any number of suits to his satisfaction, provided an inspection in acordance with 21(d) warants such measures.

Notwithstanding paragraph 2.1 above:

The air presure test required by MSC/Circ. 114 should be conducted at every required service by an authorized service station at 3 years intervals, after which the suit must be re-baged, providing the airtight bag sealing is checked by ship personel at least anualy and found to be intact. It is also recommended that, whenever posible, inspections, as required by MSC/Circ. 1047 be caried out at the same time.
Any immersion suits over 10 years of age should be serviced anualy at an authorized service stations.

Source: UK MCA