lifeboats & davits
code from 1 January 2013. Manufacturers will have until 1 July 2013 to carry out testing, but the regulation may not come into force for new vessels until 1 July 2014 or a ship’s first drydock thereafter, which could be up to 2019. Mr Klaverstijn estimated there could be up to
90,000 rehooking jobs and questioned whether 2019 was a realistic deadline. “The only way we can complete these in time is if manufacturers, owners, class societies and administrations co-operate with each other,” he said. “We need to start now.” Manufacturer Schat-Harding is well underway with its planning. It has recently worked with Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Color Line and Grandi Navi Veloci amongst others to replace older lifeboat hooks. “It is unusual for IMO to introduce regulations which are retrospective,” said David Bradley, vice president of operations at Umoe Schat- Harding Services. “The way IMO has introduced this with these timings is causing some uncertainty in the industry. You will get some proactive owners who want their hooks upgraded immediately and
others with worn out hooks which must be replaced. There will be a number who may leave it to the last minute too, so we do not know when the peak will be. I would advise owners to start planning now so that resources can be anticipated.” The company is aiming to tie the testing in with an annual service, but as it may not provide servicing to some owners, extra shipboard visits may be required. “We have been focused on preparations for a while now. Our first awareness campaign began in January 2011,” said Mr Bradley. “We are making sure that the industry is informed and we have sales engineers spread out at global locations.” Schat-Harding’s Sea Cure LHR (lift hook roller) hooks have already passed all the required tests. “They are suitable for both new and existing boats,” said Mr Bradley. “Manufactured from stainless steel, they are very corrosion resistant.” The supplier is currently waiting for IMO to produce a list of compliant hook systems to assist owners. “IMO has not announced how or when that list will be published so at the moment all we can do as a manufacturer is the testing,” Mr Bradley commented. He reported that his company’s LHRs uniquely feature a roller on the tail of the hook which reduces friction and increases efficiency. Manufacturers are discussing whether to
Schat-Harding’s Sea Cure hook is IMO approved 52 I Passenger Ship Technology I Spring 2012
include secondary safety systems on their hooks. These would comprise an additional pin locking mechanism for a hook. Mr Bradley said, “The whole purpose of this update was to design hooks which are simple to operate and maintain. To add another locking device means additional training and defeats the object of what we were trying to do. However, we have added a training lock to our Sea Cure hook which can be used during boat drills. We have talked to cruise ship representatives and they liked having that as an option.” Another manufacturer, Fassmer, is very much in favour of additional safety features. Its Duplex E hooks feature locking pin mechanisms. “We found a way to prevent release when the locking pin is inserted. This anti-blocking system is unique to Fassmer,” said Peter Reinke, the firm’s naval architect for lifeboat research and development. “If you forget to take the pin out and have to make an on-load release you can pull the lever a bit but you will feel resistance and you cannot release it.” The company intends to upgrade its existing
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