115 People Saved in Special Lifeboats Following Transocean Rig Accident

Lifeboats are crucial safety devices on offshore vessels, but the hope is that you never actually have to use them.  However, when the Transocean rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, these lifeboats provided safety for 115 people.

The government requires certain specifications on lifeboats, including that they are crafted of fire retardant material, use diesel engines that can go about 6 knots and incorporate special sprinkler systems. 

Offshore rigs have enough lifeboats on both sides of the vessel, so that if it lists to one side or the other, there are still enough lifeboats for everyone.  Once survivors are inside a lifeboat, the hatch is closed and it is lowered on cables down to the water.  Each boat is self-righting, meaning that if a giant wave turns it over, the craft will come right back up.

Survivors of the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico rig explosion said that they only had about 5 to 10 minutes to exit the rig.  You can only imagine how terrifying those minutes following the blast had to be, as men scrambled to evacuate the rig and board these lifeboats.  Witnesses to the rig explosion described the scene as chaotic and said that men were hollering from the water.