Today, I like to speak about
inflatable life rafts onboard a vessel. Life rafts are crucial maritime safety equipment designed to save lives in
emergency situations at sea. Inflatable life rafts are a means
of ensuring the safety of sailors, providing a means of evacuation in the
event of emergencies on board a ship. In this video, we'll explore the key
features, types, and importance of life rafts to ensure you're well-prepared for
any dangerous situations onboard a vessel. Before we start, please like this
video and subscribe to my channel, it will greatly help its development. Inflatable life rafts are visibly stored
on board a vessel in fiberglass containers. Life raft must be designed to withstand exposure
at sea for 30 days under all weather conditions and should be capable of being dropped
into the water from a height of 18 meters, and all its equipment should function
satisfactorily after such a drop. The quantity of life rafts on board and their
positions depend on the size of the ship. The specific locations of the life rafts on board
a vessel are indicated in the ships Fire Plan. Typically, life rafts are positioned close to the Muster Stations on both the port
and starboard sides of the ship. According to SOLAS regulations, there must be one or more inflatable or
rigid life rafts on each side of the ship, with a combined capacity sufficient to
accommodate the total number of persons on board. On bulk carriers the life rafts on at least one side of the ship shall be
served by launching appliances. Cargo ships where the horizontal distance from
the extreme end of the stem or stern of the ship to the nearest end of the closest
survival craft is more than 100 meters shall carry a life raft
stowed as far forward of aft, or one as far forward and another as far
aft, as is reasonable and practicable. This life rafts may be securely fastened so as to permit manual release and not required to
be equipped with hydrostatic release unit. This is a typical inflatable
life raft onboard a vessel. We will discuss the Hydrostatic Release Unit,
Painter, Weak Link, Cradle, Marking of the life raft, information card, lashing straps, and a
detailed description of the attached certificate. One important thing to keep in mind is
that life rafts should be securely attached to the vessels to avoid any accidental
opening or being lost in rough weather, and similar situations. Lashing Strap It
is permanently attached to the cradles on one side and connected to the Hydrostatic
Release Unit by a pelican hook on the other. This allows for the life raft to be released and manually activated by placing it in the
water and pulling on the painter line. But at the same time, they should have the
capability to be set free automatically in case of an emergency, and this is made
possible with a hydrostatic release unit. When submerged, the hydrostatic release
unit is designed to activate automatically, releasing life rafts from sinking vessels. The raft release hook is connected by
the H20 strong rope to the strong point. The liferaft's painter system ensures a
connection between the ship and liferaft, preventing the liferaft from being dragged
under by the sinking ship when released. The raft's painter line is
affixed to the hydrostatic release unit weak link connector using a shackle. At depths ranging from 1.5 to 4
meters beneath the water's surface, water pressure exerts force on
a membrane within the H20 unit. This action triggers a spring-loaded
blade that swiftly severs the robust rope. Consequently, the raft becomes
detached from its cradle. As it ascends toward the surface, the raft's
painter line extends out of its storage container. Upon reaching its maximum length, the raft
inflates, bursting out of its housing. The inflation of the raft generates increased
buoyancy, causing the painter line to exert sufficient force to break the H20 weak
link securing it to the anchor point. The inflating raft is then free to rise to
the surface, ready for survivors to board. When installed, the hydrostatic release unit must
feature a prominently displayed expiration date. The expiration date should be set at two
years from the month of installation, unless an alternative duration is
specified on the primary label. The printed label surrounding the HRU provides
details for twelve calendar months and four years. In accordance with the specified expiration
date on the primary label, carefully remove the appropriate sections for the month and year ahead
of the installation date using a sharp-edged tool. Each Hamar H20 unit possesses
a unique serial number and a manufacturing date engraved on the top surface. To verify its authenticity, scan the data matrix barcode on the
primary label using the Marcode app. Upon scanning, the serial number
of the unit will be displayed. Information Card – This is a plastic
container that contains waterproof paper, which you need to fill out every time
you change your life raft onboard. Right after installing life rafts onboard,
you should fill in the name of your vessel, call sign, ship's IMO number,
and flag state on the inside. As per SOLAS , provision shall
be made for marking each liferaft with the name and port of registry of
the ship to which it is to be fitted, in such a form that the ship identification can be
changed at any time without opening the container. The certificate consist a lot
of important information for us. Maximum stowage height ,
in this case its 36 meters. As we remember before, SOLAS
requirements indicate that Life rafts should be capable of being dropped
into the water from a height of 18 meters The life raft must have a painter with
a length of at least 10 meters plus the distance to the waterline in the lightest
condition or 15 meters, whichever is greater. Here is 50 meters - more than enough. Also indicated the maximum number of
people allowed for boarding the life raft. It also indicates the type of equipment inside,
either SOLAS “A” Pack or SOLAS “ B ” Pack. The main differences between them
are described in the LSA regulations. The choice between SOLAS “ A ” Pack and SOLAS “ B
” Pack life rafts depends on the type of vessel, its intended voyage, and the distance from shore. SOLAS “ A ” Pack rafts are designed for longer
voyages and more challenging conditions, while “ B ” Pack rafts are suitable for vessels operating in relatively
safer and closer-to-shore areas. The difference is that not all the items specified in the list of life raft equipment
are necessary for a SOLAS “ B ” Pack. Additionally here indicated the last and
next service date for our life raft onboard. After each service, you will receive a special
certificate for each of your life rafts, which proves that your life rafts
are in good serviceable condition. In the next video we will discuss the
emergency equipment of liferaft , special construction requirements and a lot of
other interesting and important thinks. Thanks for watching !
