Tag: life-saving equipment

Hong Kong Merchant Shipping Information Note The Hong Kong Marine Department issues Merchant Shipping Information Note regarding Servicing of Life- Saving Equipment as follows:The purpose of this Note is to inform shipowners, ship managers, ship masters, shipping agents and classification societies, of service stations in Hong Kong which have been approved by the Director of Marine for the servicing of life-saving equipment.1. This Note supersedes Hong Kong Merchant Shipping Information Note No. 62/2006.2. Various cases have been drawn to Marine Department's attention in the past which have identified the unapproved servicing of inflatable liferafts at certain overseas service stations.In some instances, the servicing was so poor that the liferaft would not have functioned properly when launched and would have been ineffective as a life-saving appliance.3. It is imperative for the safety of life at sea that all inflatable liferafts are regularly serviced at stations which have been approved by both the Administration of the State concerned and by the manufacturer of the equipment to be serviced. Shipowners are also advised to ensure wide availability of authorised servicing agents before purchasing inflatable liferafts. The above advice also applies to inflatable lifejackets, inflated rescue boats, marine evacuation systems, hydrostatic release units (HRUs) ...

The cargo ship suffered engine problems Thurso lifeboat crew was called outon Sundaymorning in gale-force conditions to go to the aid of a cargo vessel which had lost power to the west of the Pentland Firth and began drifting towards the north coast of Caithness.The RNLI lifeboat, The Taylors, launched at the request of Aberdeen coastguard at 4.20am in very poor weather conditions after the cargo vessel, Norholm, suffered engine problems four to five miles north west of Ushat Head.The 94-metre cargo vessel with seven people on board managed to regain 20 per cent power just after the lifeboats launch so set a course for Scrabster harbour while the lifeboat continued on its way towards the casualty in gale-force nine to storm-force 10 north-westerly winds, heavy rain and a five-metre swell.Having endured terrible weather and sea conditions, both vessels arrived in Thurso Bay around 6am where they still had to contend with a very heavy swell.Nearly an hour later the cargo vessel managed to make it safely alongside the pier at Scrabster.Source: John O'Groat Journal

Ship owners embrace the benefits of renting rather than buying liferafts Wilhelmsen Ships Service's liferaft rental concept is thriving in the Eastern Mediterranean (including Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon) as ship owners and operators embrace the concept and the benefits of renting rather than buying liferafts.When the concept was introduced, WSS's sales, customer service and supply teams found the Eastern Mediterranean market to be extremely positive and in the last two years, 122 local shipping companies have placed rented liferafts on more than 1 000 vessels.Nicos Shiakallis, WSS Area Director Eastern Mediterranean comments, "The growth in liferaft rental is an example of the snowball effect. After the initial companies changed to liferaft rental, their enthusiasm for the concept spread to other companies in the region. ""In addition, once these vessel operators saw how effectively the global network managed the exchanges, they started looking at other ways in which we could work together. Many of these customers have now signed fleet agreements to enable WSS to provide other products and safety services to their vessels worldwide."Wilhelmsen Ships Service's liferaft rental scheme enables vessels to rent newly-serviced Unitor liferafts on an annual basis, thus avoiding the difficulties associated with arranging and carrying out ...

The liferaft rental and exchange concept has been a great success Wilhelmsen Ships Service has opened eight new liferaft servicing stations since January. These stations are a vital component of the LRE offer, providing ready-serviced liferafts to vessels that have signed up to the scheme.The liferaft rental and exchange concept (LRE) has been a great success since its launch with over 12,000 liferafts now operating but it has not been without its challenges. To enable the scheme to work effectively, WSS has strategically placed 42 service stations covering 900 ports across the globe, equipped with service and liferaft exchange stocks to meet customer demands.It is essential that all the participating service stations have the right approvals from the manufacturers and local authorities as well as enough liferafts of the right sizes. The stock of such liferafts is managed by due-date monitoring systems in order to meet the individual needs of customers.Over the last six months, Wilhelmsen Ships Service has added the ports of Antwerp (Belgium), Gothenburg (Sweden), Istanbul (Turkey), Kaohsiung (Taiwan), Valparaiso (Chile), Bintulu (Malaysia), Darwin (Australia), Singapore and New York to the network. In most cases, the liferaft stations involved in the programme can service vessels in a number ...

MSC1/ Circular 1392 Circular 1392 regarding lifeboat hooks recently issued by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) including circulars emanating from the 89th Session of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC)MSC 89 approved the Guidelines for evaluation and replacement of lifeboat release and retrieval systems as per SOLAS regulation III/1.5, following the recommendations made by the Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment, at its fifty-fifth session, and the Ad Hoc Working Group on Lifeboat Release Hooks Member Governments are invited to use the annexed Guidelines when applying SOLAS regulation III/1.5, as adopted by resolution MSC.317(89), and to bring them to the attention of all parties concerned Member Governments, shipowners and manufacturers of lifeboat release and retrievalsystems are also strongly urged, pending the entry into force of SOLAS regulation III/1.5, to use the annexed Guidelines to evaluate existing lifeboat release and retrieval systems at the earliest available opportunity Member Governments are strongly urged to ensure that all ships fitted with on-loadrelease systems for lifeboats, are equipped with fall preventer devices as per paragraph 6 of these Guidelines at the earliest available opportunityYou can view the MSC1/Circular 1392 by clicking here.Source: IMO

First Aid Medical Kits of Lifeboats and Liferafts Greek Government has notified of lifeboat and liferaft pharmacies for vessels flying the Greek flag by "First Aid Medical Kits of Lifeboats and Liferafts" (4339.27/03/10) as follows.This ClassNK Technical Information supersedes existing Technical Information No. TEC-0672 dated 28 September 2006.(1) The medical and sanitary materials that are contained in the pharmacies of the lifeboats and liferafts of the ships, have to be approved by the National Medical Organization according to Document from National Medical Organization 34311/02-06-2005 and YEN/DEEP/DEPT. EY letter with ref. no. 1426/98/23/-09/1998.(2) In case the vessel is outside Greece during the expiry date of the medicines of the lifeboats or liferafts and the supply of new medical material from Greece, is not possible, so that they can comply with Paragraph 1, or the vessel has new liferafts from abroad. It is accepted that the medical material is approved by their country. That medical material has to be replaced immediately as soon as possible with others that comply with Paragraph 1.Source: ClassNK

Mariners have lost confidence in using lifeboats in training drills Lifeboat hook failures have caused death and injury to seafarers for too long now and mariners have lost confidence in using lifeboats in training drills.The Industry Lifeboat Group (ILG) in which The Nautical Institute is an active participant, was set up to address the concerns of the maritime industry on the issue of lifeboat safety; identify features of existing survival craft and associated systems for which remedial measures are required; and to provide clear recommendations to IMO.

Marine Notice by The Republic of Marshall Islands The purpose of this Notice is to provide an outline of essential procedural steps to safely carry out simulated launching drills of free-fall style lifeboats.These steps are general in nature, and the lifeboat manufacturers instructions should always be followed before conducting simulated launching.To view more, click hereSource: Republic of the Marshall Islands

Marine Safety Advisory No.62-11 The United Kingdom Maritime Accident Investigations Branch has issued the attached safety bulletin addressing safety concerns identified during an investigation into the failure of a proximity switch on a rescue boat davit.The Maritime Administrator notes that the failure of a proximity switch, or limit switch, on davits or other lifting equipment has the potential for similar consequences.It is recommended that owners and operators of Marshall Islands flagged vessels review their maintenance and testing procedures for davits and lifting equipment to ensure that proximity and limit switches are tested and, as appropriate, replaced on a regular basis.To view more, click here.Source: Republic of the Marshall Islands

A milestone has been reached Readers will remember from previous articles that INTERTANKO is a member of the Industry Lifeboat Group (ILG), which was instrumental in the creation of the "Proposed Guidelines for the Evaluation and Replacement of Lifeboat Release and Retrieval Systems".At this week's meetings of the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 89), the Committee:- approved the draft MSC circular on Guidelines for Evaluation and Replacement of Lifeboat Release and Retrieval Systems;- adopted the modified amendments to SOLAS regulation III/1;- approved the draft MSC circular on early application of new SOLAS regulation III/1.5;- adopted the modified amendments to the LSA Code and decided on their application date;- adopted the draft MSC resolution on amendments to the Revised recommendation on testing of life-saving appliances (resolution MSC.81 (70)), as amended.INTERTANKO voiced its support for the proposed Guidelines in Plenary. However, like other members of the ILG and many Member States, INTERTANKO was of the opinion that it would be premature to close-out the lifeboat release hook topic in its entirety. The ILG has identified several elements which have not been addressed in the proposed Guidelines:- Vibration;- Secondary safety systems.The ILG recognises that vibration can potentially be a major factor in the ...