Vessels have until July 1, 2013 to evaluate lifeboat on-load releasing mechanisms against new requirements and in some cases until July 1, 2019 to replacement non-compliant hooks, according to rules issued by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) last year.
Until then, crewmembers boarding suspended lifeboats remain at the mercy of defective releasing mechanisms that have caused a number of serious injuries and even deaths.
How companies can continue to expose their crews to this risk for the purposes of standard lifeboat drills or to conduct routine maintenance is irresponsible and a reckless disregard for human life.
Until a vessel’s flawed hook releasing system is corrected with a secondary safety system such as a locking pin, it would seem the best course of action is to keep crewmembers out of lifeboats altogether, except in a real state of emergency.
After all, a lifeboat is supposed to be there for the purpose of a real emergency, not for severing fingers while slushing wires during routine maintenance or freefalling 80 feet from the main deck of a car carrier during a boat drill.
Category: General
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