lifeboats & davits
Operators identify key safety priorities
L
ifeboats are vital pieces of safety equipment for an operator, so when looking to choose a system, owners need to take into account
various issues. According to Marine Atlantic’s director of fleet operations, Barry Noel, “Our main criteria would be capacity, suitability, availability of manufacturer service representation, consistency through the fleet and reputation of the manufacturer.”
The Canadian operator’s ferry fleet uses both
Schat-Harding and Fassmer lifeboats. Currently Marine Atlantic is replacing release hooks on four lifeboats aboard one of its vessels. “We will continue to consult with manufacturers as per future requirements,” said Mr Noel. The manufacturers undertake servicing for the lifeboats, but the owner conducts onboard crew training. “At Marine Atlantic, we strive to go above and beyond industry safety standards,” said Mr Noel. “We provide constant and consistent safety training to our employees, thus ensuring our passengers receive a safe, environmentally responsible and quality ferry service.” The fleet uses a mix of lifeboats and marine evacuation systems (MES) and Mr Noel can see advantages to using both. “MESs have a large capacity and can be stored in a small space. They can be deployed quickly and efficiently and are easily
transported,” he said. “Whereas lifeboats are self- propelled and can be serviced on board. They can be easily inspected by crew as all parts are visible and accessible, and they can also be launched and recovered for crew training without the repackaging requirements of MESs.” Capt Vassilios Gazikas, senior general manager of marine operations at Louis Cruises, prefers to use lifeboats. “Although MESs have some advantages in poor weather conditions, they are not as foolproof as the lifeboats,” he said. “They can only be maintained or repaired at authorised shore stations. Their main disadvantage however is that you do not get to train
frequently with them and therefore crew
familiarisation can become an issue. They can also be intimidating for passengers and cause injuries during the evacuation. Some designs may be hazardous to infants for example; I do not think that they are suitable for ocean-going passenger vessels. Compared to MESs, davit-launchable liferafts are better alternatives to lifeboats.” As the Greek operator has no newbuildings in its fleet, it inherits a vessel’s existing equipment. However, Capt Gazikas believes that user- friendliness and operational simplicity are important. “Such equipment will be more efficient and safer to use in emergency situations, where human behaviour tends to be different.” He also cited ease of maintenance and researching other users’ experience of equipment as key considerations. As the design of Louis Cruises’ vessels is not uniform, it has to deal with a variety of lifeboat manufacturers. None of its lifeboats have had to be rehooked so far.
Marine Atlantic’s fleet employs lifeboats and MESs 56 I Passenger Ship Technology I Spring 2012
Each of the operator’s lifeboats is serviced by the original equipment manufacturer. “We have found that the quality of service is much better this way,” said Capt Gazikas. “For our operation it is not practical to maintain manufacturer-certified crew to carry out annual maintenance, but crew do undertake routine onboard maintenance.” PST
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