Launching and embarkation appliances

 

General requirements

 

With the exception of the secondary means of launching for free-fall lifeboats, each launching appliance shall be so arranged that the fully equipped survival craft or rescue boat it serves can be safely launched against unfavourable conditions of trim of up to 10° and a list of up to 20° either way:

when boarded, as required by regulation III/23 or III/33, by its full complement of persons; and

with not more than the required operating crew on board.

Notwithstanding the requirements of paragraph 6.1.1.1, lifeboat launching appliances for oil tankers, chemical tankers and gas carriers with a final angle of heel greater than 20° calculated in accordance with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto, and the recommendations of the Organization,[†††] as applicable, shall be capable of operating at the final angle of heel on the lower side of the ship, taking into consideration the final damaged waterline of the ship.

A launching appliance shall not depend on any means other than gravity or stored mechanical power which is independent of the ship's power supplies to launch the survival craft or rescue boat it serves in the fully loaded and equipped condition and also in the light condition.

Each launching appliance shall be so constructed that only a minimum amount of routine maintenance is necessary. All parts requiring regular maintenance by the ship's crew shall be readily accessible and easily maintained.

The launching appliance and its attachments other than winch brakes shall be of sufficient strength to withstand a static proof load on test of not less than 2.2 times the maximum working load.

Structural members and all blocks, falls, padeyes, links, fastenings and all other fittings used in connection with launching equipment shall be designed with a factor of safety on the basis of the maximum working load assigned and the ultimate strengths of the materials used for construction. A minimum factor of safety of 4.5 shall be applied lo all structural members, and a minimum factor of safety of 6 shall be applied to falls, suspension chains, links and blocks.

Each launching appliance shall, as tar as practicable, remain effective under conditions of icing.

A lifeboat launching appliance shall be capable of recovering the liteboaf with its crew.

Each rescue boat launching appliance shall be fitted with a powered winch motor capable of raising the rescue boat from the water with its full rescue boat complement of persons and equipment at a rate of not less than 0.3 m/s.

The arrangements of the launching appliance shall be such as to enable safe boarding of the survival craft in accordance with the requirements of paragraphs 4.1.4.2, 4.1.4.3, 4.4.3.1 and 4.4.3.2.

 

Launching appliances using falls and winch

 

Every launching appliance using falls and a winch, except for secondary launching appliances for free-fall lifeboats, shall comply with the requirements of paragraph 6.1.1 and, in addition, shall comply with the requirements of this paragraph.

The launching mechanism shall be so arranged that it may be actuated by one person from a position on the ship's deck and, except for secondary launching appliances for free-fall lifeboats, from a position within the survival craft or rescue boat. When launched by a person on the deck, the survival craft or rescue boat shall be visible to that person.

Falls shall be of rotation-resistant and corrosion-resistant steel wire rope.

In the case of a multiple-drum winch, unless an efficient compensatory device is fitted, the falls shall be so arranged as to wind off the drums at the same rate when lowering, and to wind on to the drums evenly at the same rate when hoisting.

The winch brakes of a launching appliance shall be of sufficient strength to withstand:

a static test with a proof load of not less than 1.5 times the maximum working load; and

a dynamic test with a proof load of not less than 1.1 times the maximum working load at maximum lowering speed.

An efficient hand gear shall be provided for recovery of each survival craft and rescue boat. Hand-gear handles or wheels shall not be rotated by moving parts of the winch when the survival craft or rescue boat is lacing lowered or when it is being hoisted by power.

Where davit arms are recovered by power, safety devices shall be fitted which will automatically cut off the power before the davit arms reach the stops in order to prevent overstressing the tails or davits, unless the motor is designed to prevent such overstressing.

The speed at which the fully loaded survival craft or rescue boat is lowered to the water shall not be less than that obtained from the formula:

S = 0.4 + 0.02 H

where:

S is the lowering speed in metres per second and

H is the height in metres from the davit head to the waterline with the ship in the lightest sea-going condition.

The lowering speed of a fully equipped liferaft without persons on hoard shall be to the satisfaction of the Administration. The lowering speed of other survival craft, fully equipped but without persons on board, shall be at least 70% of that required by paragraph 6.1.2.8.

The maximum lowering speed shall be established by the Administration having regard to the design of the survival craft or rescue boat, the protection of its occupants from excessive forces, and the strength of the launching arrangements taking into account inertia forces during an emergency stop. Means shall be incorporated into the appliance to ensure that this speed is not exceeded.

Every launching appliance shall be fitted with brakes capable of stopping the descent of the survival craft or rescue boat and holding it securely when loaded with its full complement of persons and equipment; brake pads shall, where necessary, be protected from water and oil.

Manual brakes shall be so arranged that the brake is always applied unless the operator, or a mechanism activated by the operator, holds the brake control in the "off" position.

 

Float-free launching

 

Where a survival craft requires a launching appliance and is also designed to float free, the float-free release of the survival craft from its stowed position shall be automatic.

 

Launching appliances for free-fall lifeboats

 

Every free-fall launching appliance shall comply with the applicable requirements of paragraph 6.1.1 and, in addition, shall comply with the requirements of this paragraph.

The launching appliance shall be designed and installed so that it and the lifeboat it serves operate as a system to protect the occupants from harmful acceleration forces as required by paragraph 4.7.5, and to ensure effective clearing of the ship as required by paragraphs 4.7.3.1 and 4.7.3.2.

The launching appliance shall be constructed so as to prevent sparking and incendiary friction during the launching of the lifeboat.

The launching appliance shall be designed and arranged so that, in the ready-to-launch position, the distance from the lowest point on the lifeboat it serves to the water surface with the ship in its lightest seagoing condition does not exceed the lifeboat's free-fall certification height, taking into consideration the requirements of paragraph 4.7.3.

The launching appliance shall be arranged so as to preclude accidental release of the lifeboat in its unattended stowed position. If the means provided to secure the lifeboat cannot be released from inside the lifeboat, it shall be so arranged as to preclude hoarding the lifeboat without first releasing it.

The release mechanism shall be arranged so that at least two independent actions from inside the lifeboat are required in order to launch the lifeboat.

Each launching appliance shall be provided with a secondary means to launch the lifeboat by falls. Such means shall comply with the requirements of paragraph 6.1.1 (except 6.1.1.3) and paragraph 6.1.2 (except 6.1.2.6). It must be capable of launching the lifeboat against unfavourable conditions of trim of up to only 2º and list of up to only 5º either way and it need not comply with the speed requirements of paragraphs 6.1.2.8 and 6.1.2.9. If the secondary launching appliance is not dependent on gravity, stored mechanical power or other manual means, the launching appliance shall be connected both to the ship's main and emergency power supplies.

The secondary means of launching shall be equipped with at least a single off-load capability to release the lifeboat.

 

Liferaft launching appliances

 

Every liferaft launching appliance shall comply with the requirements of paragraphs 6.1.1 and 6.1.2, except with regard to embarkation in the stowed position, recovery of the loaded liferaft and that manual operation is permitted for turning out the appliance. The launching appliance shall include an automatic release hook arranged so as to prevent premature release during lowering and shall release the liferaft when waterborne. The release hook shall include a capability to release the hook under load. The on-load release control shall:

be clearly differentiated from the control which activates the automatic release function;

require at least two separate actions to operate;

with a load of 150 kg on the hook, require a force of at least 600 N and not more than 700 N to release the load, or provide equivalent adequate protection against inadvertent release of the hook; and

be designed such that the crew members on deck can clearly observe when the release mechanism is properly and completely set.

 

Embarkation ladders

 

Handholds shall be provided to ensure a safe passage from the deck to the head of the ladder and vice versa.

The steps of the ladder shall be:

made of hardwood, free from knots or other irregularities, smoothly machined and free from sharp edges and splinters, or of suitable material of equivalent properties;

provided with an efficient non-slip surface either by longitudinal grooving or by the application of an approved non-slip coating;

not less than 480 mm long, 115 mm wide and 25 mm in depth, excluding any non-slip surface or coaling; and

equally spaced not less than 300 mm or more than 380 mm apart and secured in such a manner that they will remain horizontal.

The side ropes of the ladder shall consist of two uncovered manila ropes not less than 65 mm in circumference on each side. Each rope shall be continuous with no joints below the top step. Other materials may be used provided the dimensions, breaking strain, weathering, stretching and gripping properties are at least equivalent to those of manila rope. All rope ends shall be secured to prevent unravelling.