How often should the lifeboat wire falls be turned and renewed

Lifeboat wire rope failure

During a five-yearly 110% load test of a lifeboat, taking place under third party supervision, the forward fall wire failed, resulting in the lifeboat falling and flipping upside down landing in the water below. There were no personnel onboard during testing and no injuries were reported. The lifeboat was recovered to shore.

What went wrong?

Our member’s investigation noted that during maintenance of the lifeboat davit sheaves, the fall wire was removed by disassembling the three existing bulldog (“Crosby”) clamps on each wire termination on the davit. Once all maintenance works were completed, the fall wire was reinstalled using the original bulldog clamps, which were clamped in the same position as the original termination.

What were the causes?

Close inspection of the wire indicated that the fall wire had slipped through the bulldog clips and released from the thimble on the turnbuckle because:

What lessons were learned?

What actions were taken?

Members may wish to refer to:

Safety Event

IMCA Safety Flashes

Submit a Report

IMCA Safety Flashes summarise key safety matters and incidents, allowing lessons to be more easily learnt for the benefit of all. The effectiveness of the IMCA Safety Flash system depends on Members sharing information and so avoiding repeat incidents. Please consider adding [email protected] to your internal distribution list for safety alerts or manually submitting information on incidents you consider may be relevant. All information is anonymised or sanitised, as appropriate.

IMCA’s store terms and conditions (https://www.imca-int.com/legal-notices/terms/) apply to all downloads from IMCA’s website, including this document.

IMCA makes every effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained in the documents it publishes, but IMCA shall not be liable for any guidance and/or recommendation and/or statement herein contained. The information contained in this document does not fulfil or replace any individual’s or Member’s legal, regulatory or other duties or obligations in respect of their operations. Individuals and Members remain solely responsible for the safe, lawful and proper conduct of their operations.

What are the tricing pendants made for?

Asked by: Dewayne Corkery

A tricing pendant is part of the rigging that allows lifeboats to be launched. The system to launch a lifeboat is complex and the tricing pendants play an essential role if the ship is heeling or laid over because of damage.

What is the purpose of Tricing pendant?

Tricing pendant is used to avoid the swinging of the boat when the ship is rolling or listed and bowsing tackle is used to bring the boat near to the embarkation deck to allow the crew to embark safely.

What are Tricing pennants?

Tricing pennants are attached to the davit arms and if the falls are allowed to run slack the entire weight of the boat is transferred onto the davit arms, via the tricing wires, and may cause one or both arms to overload and fail.

What are gripes in lifeboat?

The purpose of the gripes is to secure the lifeboat against the davits when in the stowed position. The gripes are essentially straps which attach to the ends of the boat and are secured to the davits.

What is hanging off pendant lifeboat?

What is Tricing Pendent and Bowsing Tackle? (Parts of open Life Boat)

29 related questions found

How do you recover lifeboat in heavy weather?

How do you release a free fall lifeboat?

Free Fall lifeboat release:

the only difference is that the freefall lifeboat is not lowered till 1m above water level, it is launched from the stowed position by operating a lever located inside the boat which releases the boat from rest of the davit and boat slides through the tilted ramp into the water.

What is the maximum number of people that an approved lifeboat can carry?

No lifeboat shall be approved to carry more than 150 person (LSA CODE, CHAPTER 3, REG 4.4. 2) Each lifeboat shall be provided with a certificate of approval, endorsed by the administration containing atleast following items: no.

What are the equipment inside the lifeboat?

How many types of lifeboats are there?

Other than these three common types, there are two additional advanced types of lifeboats namely, Fireproof Lifeboats and Hyperbaric Lifeboats.

What is the best procedure for picking up a lifeboat at sea?

What is the best procedure for picking up a lifeboat at sea while utilizing the lifeboat’s sea painter? A) Place the lifeboat ahead and to leeward of your ship with the wind about broad on the bow of your ship.

Why are lifeboats usually double ended?

Why are lifeboats usually double-enders? A) They are more seaworthy and less likely to be swamped or broach to.

Which signal is given to commence lowering the lifeboats?

(c) Where whistle signals are used for handling the lifeboats, they must be as follows: (1) To lower lifeboats, one short blast. (2) To stop lowering the lifeboats, two short blasts.

What is gravity davit?

What checks you will make on a lifeboat engine before starting?

Visual checks – Check for rusting areas, oil leaks and kinks in the fuel lines, cracks or bends in the lines associated with the ship’s lifeboat engine, chaffed hoses, paint discoloration in heat areas, distorted electrical cables or damaged junctions for cable and housing, etc. for an overall view of the deformities.

How much fuel is required on a lifeboat?

How much food and water is aboard the lifeboat? Regulations state that the boat must have a food rations totaling not less than 10,000 kJ for each person the lifeboat is permitted to accommodate; these rations shall be kept in airtight packaging and be stowed in a watertight container.

Did Titanic have enough lifeboats?

The second critical safety lapse that contributed to the loss of so many lives was the inadequate number of lifeboats carried on Titanic. A mere 16 boats, plus four Engelhardt “collapsibles,” could accommodate just 1,178 people.

Can a lifeboat sink?

When Should a ship be abandoned?

Abandoning ship is always your last resort. If your boat is rapidly sinking or there’s a fire that can’t be extinguished or contained, then it’s time to abandon.

Do lifeboats have toilets?

Why did Solas come into force?

The first version of SOLAS Treaty was passed in 1914 in response to the sinking of the Titanic, which prescribed numbers of lifeboats and other emergency equipment along with safety procedures, including continuous radio watches. The 1914 treaty never entered into force due to the outbreak of the First World War.

How often are lifeboats on a passenger ship lowered into the water?

However, all such lifeboats shall be lowered at least once every three months and launched at least annually.

Does free-fall require a launch?

Regulations also require that these craft are launched once every six months, as opposed to every three months for conventional davit-launched lifeboats. There is no standard procedure for launching free-fall lifeboats, as design and fittings vary considerably.

How often should the lifeboat wire falls be turned and renewed?

The manufacturer’s instructions on the maintenance of the lifeboat falls stipulate that «the falls shall be turned end for end at intervals of not more than 30 months and be renewed when necessary, due to deterioration of the falls or at intervals of not more than five years, whichever is the earlier».

Types of Lifeboat Release Mechanisms & SOLAS Requirements for Lifeboats

There are different types of lifeboats used on board a ship on the basis of the type of ship and other special requirements. Not all the lifeboats have the same type of releasing mechanisms, for the launching of a lifeboat depends on several other factors. In this article, we will take a look at the main types of lifeboat releasing mechanisms and also learn about the SOLAS requirements for lifeboats.

Types of lifeboat releases: On load and offload release.

There are two types of lifeboat releasing mechanisms- on load and offload. These mechanisms release the boat from the davit, which is attached to a wire or fall by means of a hook. By releasing the hook the lifeboat can be set free to propel away from the ship.

Offload mechanism:

The offload mechanism releases the boat after the load of the boat is transferred to water or the boat has been lowered fully into the sea. There is a hydrostatic piston unit provided at the bottom. the piston is connected to the operating lever via a link. As the ship becomes waterborne, the water pressure will move the hydrostatic piston up. The piston will continue to move up, pushing the lever and as a result, it will operate the hook arrangement releasing the fall wire. There is a safety pin arrangement provided near the clutch box, which disables the offload release (in case of rough weather or hydrostatic piston malfunction) allowing the operator to perform onload release of the lifeboat.

On load mechanism:

On load mechanism can release the lifeboat from the wire, with the ship above the water level and with all the crew members inside the boat. The load will be still in the fall as the boat would not have touched the water. Normally the on-load release is operated when the boat is about to touch the surface of the water so that the fall is smooth without damaging the boat and harming the crew inside. A lever is provided inside the boat to operate this mechanism. As the lever is operated from inside, it is safe to free the boat without going out of the lifeboat, when there is a fire on the ship.

Free Fall lifeboat release:

In Free fall lifeboat, the launching mechanism is similar to on load release. the only difference is that the freefall lifeboat is not lowered till 1m above water level, it is launched from the stowed position by operating a lever located inside the boat which releases the boat from rest of the davit and boat slides through the tilted ramp into the water.

SOLAS and LSA code Requirements for lifeboat:

-The size, number and the capacity of the lifeboat for a merchant vessel is decided by the type of the ship and number of ship’s crew, but it should not be less than 7.3 m in length and minimum two lifeboats are provided on both side of the ship (port and starboard).

-The requirement for the lifeboat of a cargo ship with 20,000 GT is that the boat must be capable of launching when the ship is heading with a speed of 5 knots.

-The lifeboat must carry all the equipment described under SOLAS which can be used for survival at sea. It includes rations, fresh water, first aid, compass, distress signaling equipment like rocket etc.

-The ship must carry one rescue boat for rescue purpose along with other lifeboats. One lifeboat can be designated as a rescue boat if more then one lifeboat is present onboard ship.

-The gravity davits must be held and slide down the lifeboat even when the ship is heeled to an angle of 15 degrees on either side. Ropes are used to hold the lifeboat in the stowed position with the cradle. These ropes are called gripes.

-The wires which lift or lower the lifeboat are known as falls and the speed of the lifeboat descent should not be more than 36m/ min which is controlled by means of centrifugal brakes.

-The hoisting time for the boat launching appliance should not be less than 0.3 m/sec with the boat loaded to its full capacity.

-The Lifeboat must be painted in international bright orange color with the ship’s call sign printed on it.

-The lifeboat station must be easily accessible for all the crew members in all circumstances. Safety awareness posters and launching procedures must be posted at lifeboat station.

-Regular drills must be carried out to ensure that the ship’s crew members are capable of launching the boat with minimal time during a real emergency.

Are You Doing All These Checks on Your Davit Type Lifeboats

I earlier said, Life saving equipments are the best friends we have on board. And it is our responsibility to keep these in shape.

Each life saving equipment is our friend and we all agree that. But like in real friends we need to give “Life saving equipment” our time that it deserves.

How about saying a “Hello” to lifebuoy once every month. Or saying hello to lifeboat engine every week by testing it.

If we give our time to these appliances, these will remain our friends. If we do not, they will not. It is a simple give and take.

For example, Let me tell a short story of the times I was a 2nd mate.

The third mate told me, what can happen to a lifebuoy during its lifetime. These are there and we just need to check if these are in numbers that is required.

Few day after, during PSC inspection it was found that lifebuoys were too heavy. Lifebuoys had the sea water soaked into it through a plug that was supposed to be watertight.

But can we keep these in shape if we do not know what is required to maintain these. Or what elements we need to check for life saving equipments.

This guide will deal with the inspections required on davit type lifeboats as well as the best way to conduct the inspection.

Life boat (except free fall lifeboats)

Lifeboat is the first thing that comes to mind when we talk about life saving appliances. But an empty lifeboat will be as bad as no lifeboat on ship. And defective equipments inside lifeboat will be as bad as an empty lifeboat.

Let us see what we need to do to ensure that lifeboat will be ready to help if required.

a) Checking the inventory

Frequency: Every month, Applicable to all ships

Ref: SOLAS Chapter III/20.7.2

As per SOLAS Chapter III/20.7.2, ship’s officer should check the inventory of the lifeboat equipment at least once every month. Most companies will have a checklist for this in their SMS manuals. Apart from physically checking the inventory, look for following

b) Moving the lifeboat from the stowed position

Frequency: Every week, Applicable to all ships

Ref: SOLAS Chapter III/20.6.3

SOLAS require that at least every week the lifeboats should be moved from its stowed position.

Many PSC inspections findings report that many lifeboats would not move when winch brake is lifted. Most of the time reason for the lifeboat not moving is

Whatever the reason, if we move the lifeboat from its stowed position every week ensures the lifeboat readiness.

c) Turning out from stowed position

Frequency: Every month, Applicable to all ships

Ref: SOLAS Chapter III / 20.7.1

We might get confused between moving from stowed position and turning out from stowed position. When we talk about moving out, we are required to move the lifeboat slightly. By turning out we need to lower the boat to the level where boat will be directly above water.

Usually this requirement is fulfilled during monthly lifeboat drill when we turn out the lifeboat from its stowed position.

d) Test run lifeboat engine

Frequency: Every week, Applicable to all ships

Ref: SOLAS Chapter III / 20.6.2 and MSC.1 / Circ 1206/Rev 1

A lifeboat is of no use if it cannot move away from a sinking ship. Or if it cannot move to the helping ship. We need to test the lifeboat engine every week.

Remember, we need to say hello to all of our friends.

All these points we can realize if we say hello to the lifeboat engine every week.

e) Visual inspection of lifeboat and launching appliances

There are few things that can only be inspected by naked eyes. No testing but just with the naked eyes. Visual inspection of the lifeboat aim to cover that.

While making visual inspection, look for

f) Self contained air support system

Applicable to: tankers

Ref: MSC.1/Circ.1206/Rev.1

Self contained air support system is used to maintain a positive pressure inside the boat. This prevents any toxic vapors to enter inside the lifeboat while abandoning the vessel in toxic environment.

Let us see what we need to do to make this friend happy.

i) Monthly pressure check

We cannot use this system if the air bottles are empty. Every month we need to check if the air bottles are full. Upto 10% decrease in bottle pressure is allowed.

Most of the time there are three air bottles of around 45 Litres capacity.

After you have checked the pressure of one bottle, we must ensure that we release the pressure in the line before we check the pressure of other bottles.

ii) Annual inspection by Shore

Reference: MSC.1/Circ.1206/Rev.1

MSC circular require the lifeboat air bottles to be visually examined by a competent authority atleast every year. This inspection is limited to

iii) Pressure testing of the air bottles

Ref: Class rules

Frequency: Every 5 year

While the pressure testing of the bottles is not a SOLAS requirement, but it required as per rules of Internaltion associated of classification societies.

Every 5 years (usually during 5 yearly dry docking of the vessel), the air bottles are taken ashore and pressure tested to 1.5 times the working pressure.

A certificate of pressure testing of life boat air bottles need to be on board.

g) Lifeboat sprinkler system

The sprinkler system is required on the lifeboats of all oil tankers. And the idea of lifeboat sprinkler is same as is with any sprinkler system. To distinguish the fire.

Lifeboat sprinkler system is used if the oil fire has enveloped the lifeboat. To ensure that lifeboat sprinkler system can work in emergency would require regular testing. Here is how we can ensure this.

Test Every 3 month by ship staff & yearly by the maker

Ref: MSC.1/Circ.1206/Rev.1

During every occasion of launching the lifeboat into the water, we must test the sprinkler system. The components to check are

These tests are then required to be done by the maker during the annual thorough inspection of the lifeboat.

Lifeboat sprinkler system lines do not like the seawater to be retained in it for long time as the salt can block the nozzles. For this reason we must flush the sprinkler system with fresh water each time we test it with sea water.

Lifeboat Launching Appliances

Lifeboat needs some means to lower it. We should be able to lower Lifeboats without depending upon the ship’s power supply. That makes the gravity type lifeboat davits a first choice for the shipyards and ship owners.

In this type of launching appliances, we just need to release the brake to lower the lifeboat.

Let us see how regulations require us to take care of the launching appliances

a) Annual thorough inspection of lifting appliances

Ref: SOLAS III/20.11.1.2 and MSC.1/Circ.1206/Rev.1/Appendix of Annex 1, para. 2.8 and 2.9 as applicable

SOLAS require the Maker to carry out annual thorough inspection of the lifeboat launching appliances.

The launching appliance have different components and MSC circular provides complete guidance on element to check on these components. Let us see what elements are inspected during annual thorough inspection

i) Lifeboat Davit

Every year, lifeboat davit is checked for any

ii) Davit Winch

The main element of a davit winch is the braking system. If the brakes are not in good condition, lifeboat operations are liable to cause accidents.

There are two brakes in the gravity type lifeboats. One that holds the vessel (static brake) and second that controls the lowering speed (centrifugal brake).

During annual inspection by the maker, the brakes are opened up and condition of brake pads is checked. The brake pads are replaced if required.

Other than brake pads, the inspection of davit winch includes

b) Dynamic winch brake test

Winch brake is an important part of the launching system which if fails can result in disastrous situations. So it is not just enough to inspect the which brake and replace the brake pads.

SOLAS require the maker to perform dynamic winch brake test. In the dynamic brake the boat is lowered by opening the brake. When it achieves the maximum lowering speed, the brake is applied abruptly. The brake pad and davit foundation is then inspected.

i) Annual winch dynamic brake test

Ref: SOLAS III/20.11.1.3 and MSC.1/Circ.1206/Rev.1/Appendix of Annex 1, para. 3.1 and 3.3 as applicable

Every year the dynamic load test is done with weight of the boat and its equipments.

ii) 5 Yearly winch dynamic brake test

Ref: SOLAS III/20.11.1.3 and MSC.1/Circ.1206/Rev.1/Appendix of Annex 1, para. 3.2 and 3.3 as applicable

Every 5 years the dynamic brake test is done with the weight of the lifeboat and its equipment alongwith the weight of the number of persons that lifeboat is designated for.

For the calculation, the weight of a person is taken as 75 Kgs. But for the following vessels the weight of the person is taken as 82.5 Kgs

Conclusion

Shipping has become safer nowadays but even the unsinkable ship had to use the lifeboats on its maiden voyage. And when they required it, either the lifeboat was not ready or the people handling it.

The design and other requirements about lifeboats have changed drastically since then. All it requires now is for us to make sure that we follow the routine set out in SOLAS, company manual, MSC circulars and any other regulations.

Share this:

Related Blogs

Follow us Today on
our social network

About Capt Rajeev Jassal

Capt. Rajeev Jassal has sailed for over 19 years mainly on crude oil, product and chemical tankers. He holds MBA in shipping & Logistics degree from London. He has done extensive research on quantitatively measuring Safety culture onboard and safety climate ashore which he believes is the most important element for safer shipping.

Search Blog

42 Comments

Thank you brother.

sir can u tell, technical difference between rescue boat and lifeboat (if using lifeboat as rescue boat) except the hoisting requirement.

Except hoisting speed requirements (including requirement to have emergency source of power for winch), the rescue boat need to have recovery strope for quick recovery of the rescue lifeboat.

What are the monthly checks for fire extinguishers

That is a broad question Vijeesh..I will try to cover that in future..If you have any specific question about that, you can always ask that in our SEAQA section..

VERY USEFUL INFORMATION SIR THANK U

Thanks a lot sir! Very interesting and useful article. I opened even something new for myself. It would be great if you’ll make a separate topics, for example «navigation», «safety», etc. Or use hashtags for more easy searching.

Great Idea.. Thanks. Will think in that line and implement soon.

What is the maintenance routine for the GRP hull of the rescue boat? And what part of SOLAS covers this? Thankyou1

Can send full ffa notes sir.

hello sir, could u tell me what certificates are checked by surveyor for lifeboat and rescueboat when they onboard>?

please enlighten me about where is harbour pin and how it looks?and procedure for lowering lifeboat

Thanks a lot sir..

very good information sir, thanks alot.. Here, i have a question sir, could you tell me please sir, is there a limit switch for freefall lifeboat? Normally, where is it (position?) Thank you.

List of Life boat certificates

I want to buy 1 lifeboat How much INR price.

Excellwnt blog content as always. One question though, when you say «moving out the lifeboat» what part of the davit should we move? For how much? Thanks and mire power!

Is there any drain plug in Free fall type lifeboat?

Very useful information sir regards and thanks

We have to change the wire falls completely and not end to end

Thank you for this wonderful blog sir. I just want to ask regarding free fall lifeboat if you tested the sprinkler and flush it with fresh watet but not that much strong pressure. Is there any effect on starting the engine? Of the lifeboat? Hope to hear more from you sir

perseverance can conquer any one **.

perseverance can conquer any one **.

Someone please tell me the circular ref where it mention that; 1. Cargo vessels with keel laid on or after 01st July 2010 or where lifeboat is installed after this date. 2. For all other vessels with keel laid on or after 01st January 2012 or where lifeboat is installed after this date.

Excellent Post. I actually think this site needs a lot more attention. I’ll probably be back again to read more, thanks for the advice! Mumbai Call Girls

Excellent Post. I actually think this site needs a lot more attention. I’ll probably be back again to read more, thanks for the advice! Mumbai Call Girls

Good explanation. can I know the length and thickness of the release cable for totally enclosed lifeboat port and starboard. thanks for answering all questions..bravo

Kindly confirm Dynamic Test is stated as operational test however can anyone explain about static test as this uses 1.5 times ships total weight of craft capacity and instrument done every 5 years

They say, A friend in need is a friend indeed. On board ships, who can be your real friend who will help when you are in real need.

These are not there because of any cargo requirement, or any commercial need.

And yet, we find so many observations on life saving equipments during external inspections.

For example, as per USCG, detentions due to “rescue boat” was one of the top 5 deficiencies in 2015.

So Lets see what maintenance we need to do on free fall lifeboats to ensure that everything is alright.

Lowering requirement of Free fall lifeboat

As per SOLAS we need to lower the free fall lifeboat as follows

Every 3 months

Every 3 months we can lower the lifeboat either by free fall launching or by secondary means of launching. If lowering by free fall, the required crew need to sit inside the boat and launch it from inside.

Otherwise, we can lower the free fall lifeboat to water by davit. Crew can then board the lifeboat by embarkation ladder.

Irrespective of how we lower the boat, we need to manoeuver it in water every three months. We need to test the engine and sprinkler system during manoeuvring.

Every 6 months

If you are lowering the boat every 3 months by free fall means, there is no other thing you need to do every 6 month. But if you had lowered the boat by secondary means such as davit, you need to lower the boat by free fall every 6 months. Or you can carry out simulated launching provided lifeboat has the provisions for that.

Simulated launching

Simulated launching replaces the requirement of lowering the lifeboat by free fall method. When we lower the lifeboat by free fall method, we are testing the release mechanism of the lifeboat. Simulated launching does same but without lowering the lifeboat with free fall.

In simple words, the boats that are fitted with simulated launching has a securing wire. One end of this wire is connected to boat and other on the ship structure. When the boat is secured, this wire will be loose with no weight on it.

One crew will operate the release gear of the boat. Once the boat releases, after moving slight distance, simulation wire will hold the boat. This test will make sure that the release mechanism is working.

After simulation test, the boat then need to be lowered with davit and manoevered in water.

Maintenance required on free fall lifeboats

Maintenance by Ship staff

Every company has a weekly and monthly checklist for lifeboat which we have to follow. But as a minimum, we should do following maintenance on free fall lifeboat.

Lifeboat hull

It is good practice to check lifeboat hull for any cracks during drills. We must repair any crack in the hull at once.

Lifeboat Self contained air support system

Lifeboats fitted on tankers has self contained air support system. This is to maintain positive pressure inside the lifeboat in case of abandoning the ship in toxic environment.

Positive pressure inside lifeboat ensures that toxic gases don’t find its way inside lifeboat.

Every month we should check the pressure of the air bottles. The pressure of each bottle should not be less than 10% of the working pressure of bottle.

Usually there are three air bottles in the lifeboat. When checking the pressures, we should check the pressure in each bottle. When doing so for the second bottle, make sure to close the valves from the first bottle. Also you should release pressure from the line before opening the second bottle valve.

Sprinkler system

As I mentioned, we need to test the sprinkler system during maneuvering of the lifeboat. Apart from that every month we need to check and operate the sprinkler valve. This is to ensure that the valve is not frozen and we can open/close it easily.

Every time, sprinkler is tested with sea water, it is good practice to flush the lines with fresh water.

Lifeboat Engine

We need to test and run the lifeboat engine every week for at least 3 minutes (SOLAS Chapter III, Reg 20.6.3).

If the ship is trading in cold weather, it is important to check if the fuel for lifeboat engine is suitable for these conditions.

Every 5 years, we need to either change the fuel oil or send the fuel for analysis. As lifeboat fuel quantity is not considerable, renewing the fuel every 5 year is much economical option.

Lifeboat battery

Lifeboat battery supplies power for lighting as well as for starting the lifeboat engine.

We have to make sure that battery can start the lifeboat engine multiple times. Many companies have a policy to renew the lifeboat battery every 2 or 3 years.

Maintenance done by shore service engineer

There are number of components that shore service engineer checks during annual inspection. These can be divided in different sections. Lifeboat Exterior, Lifeboat internal, Lifeboat Engine, Lifeboat Release gear, Lifeboat Davit and Lifeboat Winch.

SOLAS requirements divides thorough inspection by shore in two parts.

1) Thorough inspection of lifeboat

2) Thorough inspection of Launching appliances

1. Annual thorough examination of lifeboat

Every year, lifeboat need to be examined by the shore service engineer. Class issues SEQ certificate on the basis of this examination along with the inspection of launching appliances.

We must make sure that before annual class surveys, the annual examination of lifeboats is complete.

During annual inspection, the shore engineer will check all the components we discussed under ship staff maintenance. These include lifeboat engine, battery, sprinkler and air support system (if fitted). His checklist also include the inspection of lifeboat equipment inventory.

We have already identified six areas that form part of thorough inspection. Each of these six areas further have many check points that service engineer will check.

For example, external inspection of lifeboat will have many checkpoints. Checkpoints such as looking for any cracks in hull and opacity of window glass etc.

Likewise the service engineer goes through the checkpoints for other areas too. Any shortcomings are brought to the attention of ship staff. Only after rectification of such deficiencies service engineer issues the service report.

2. Annual Thorough Inspection of Launching appliances by shore

SOLAS chapter III Reg 20.11.1. requires

i) thorough annual examination of launching appliances

ii) Dynamic test of the winch brake every year with weight of the boat.

iii) Operational testing of free fall lifeboat either by free fall launching with operating crew on board or by simulated launching.

Launching appliance include the davits and winch of lifeboat, liferaft and rescue boat.

i) Thorough inspection of free fall lifeboat davit

Annual thorough inspection of davit of free fall lifeboat include at least checking of

Again any deficiencies is brought to the attention of ship staff for rectification either by ship or shore.

Annual Dynamic test of winch brake

The davits of free fall lifeboat has hydraulic brake.

For conventional boats, the brakes are opened up and checked for condition. But this is not required for free fall lifeboat davits. This is because, opening of hydraulic brake decreases rather than increases the reliability of the brake.

The purpose of the dynamic test is to see if the brake can take the load of the boat. If the davit brake can hold the lifeboat in its position, we consider the test pass. If the brake does not hold and boat is moving even slightly, we consider the test as fail.

As per SOLAS, Every year, this test needs to be done with the weight of the boat. For this, shore engineer just lowers the lifeboat with the davit to perform this test.

iii) 5 yearly dynamic test of winch brake

SOLAS requires to carry out dynamic test with higher loads every 5 years. This load is 10% higher than the weight of the boat with all its compliments and equipments.

So the required weight is

1.1 x (Weight of the lifeboat + all its equipments +weight of full compliments of lifeboat)

Below picture shows the calculation of the weight for 5 year dynamic test.

There are two ways in which we can conduct this test.

1) By placing the required weight inside the boat and then lowering the boat with the davit.

2) By suspending the physical weight on lifeboat davit.

As this test is usually carried out in dry dock with easy availability of shore crane and weights, the second option may be the preferred one.

3. Lifeboat on Load release gear test

On load release gear of free fall lifeboat is different than conventional boats. Some says that this does not come in the category of on load release gear.

While this test is not required as per SOLAS for free fall lifeboats, it is still sometimes carried out during dry dock. Sometimes because of company’s policy or because of class insists it to be carried out.

To understand the testing of on load release gear of Free fall lifeboat, we need to understand how free fall lifeboat is released.

There are different arrangements for different make of free fall lifeboat and davit. But the fundamental principal is same. Free fall lifeboat holds onto a hook and this hook is released by hydraulic pressure generated from the hand pump inside the lifeboat. As the hook releases, the boat slides on the channel to drop into the water.

Lets look at one of such arrangement. Have a look at photo below.

As you can see, the boat is holding onto a rod. There are two pins protruding from inside the lifeboat. When we increase the hydraulic pressure through pump, the pins start moving outwards. As the pin touches the rod, and as we keep increasing the pressure, pins lifts the boat upwards. At one point, boat is clear of the rod, and boat moves through the channel to drop into the water.

See below close up photo for more better view of pin and bracket holding the boat.

The two pins would not move together. Only one pin would come out and lift the boat to release into the water. The second pin is for emergency system for lowering. This is used when primary system fails.

The pin we mentioned, need to push the weight of the boat including the weight of all the crew sitting in the boat. What if, there is leakage in the hydraulic system. Or what if hydraulic pump cannot generate that pressure to lift the boat enough to release it.

When we talk about free fall lifeboat on load release gear test, we are talking about testing the capacity of the hydraulic system. This is to ensure that it has enough power to lift the boat.

I keep saying lifting the boat on the basis of release gear example I mentioned earlier. But the design of the release can be different. Some design require the securing pin to release by the hydraulic pressure to release the boat. Nonetheless, it is hydraulic pressure that removes the lifeboat from secured point to release.

On load release gear test is done with 10% more weight than the weight of boat + weight of all crew. Though this is the requirement for conventional boat, same criteria is applied for free fall lifeboats if it is carried out during dry dock.

First calculate, how much hydraulic pressure is equivalent to the required test weight. This is simple mathematical calculation which I will not go deep into. Below is the actual calculation for one of the ship.

As you can see, Hydraulic system of this ship need to generate & hold 275 bar pressure to pass the test. During dry dock, in the yard workshop the hydraulic system is pressurised to perform this test. Below is the photo of actual test for the same ship.

Conclusion

More and more ships these days are fitted with free fall lifeboats. And the main reason for that is ease of use and ease of maintenance.

There are certain maintenance requirement as per SOLAS. And we need to make sure we do that. The maintenance include both that can be done by ship staff and the one done by shore service engineer.

Ship staff need to do weekly and monthly checks which usually form a part of on board company checklist.

Shore engineer need to perform annual and 5 Yearly tests.

As long as we carry out maintenance as per schedule, we can be sure of operation condition of the lifeboat.