Chapter 7 - Life-Saving Appliances and Arrangements
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Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Circulars - Maritime Safety Committee - MSC.1/Circular.1592 – Guidelines for Wing-In-Ground Craft - (18 May 2018) - Annex - Guidelines for Wing-In-Ground Craft - Part B - Interim Recommendations - Chapter 7 - Life-Saving Appliances and Arrangements

Chapter 7 - Life-Saving Appliances and Arrangements

7.1 General and Definitions

7.1.1 Life-saving appliances and arrangements should enable abandonment of the craft in accordance with the provisions of 3.7 and 3.8.

7.1.2 Except where otherwise provided in these Guidelines, the life-saving appliances and arrangements required by this chapter should meet the detailed specifications set out in the LSA Codefootnote and, where required, be approved by the Administration.

7.1.3 Before giving approval to life-saving appliances and arrangements, the Administration should ensure that such life-saving appliances and arrangements:

  • .1 are tested to confirm that they comply with the provisions of this chapter, in accordance with the recommendations of the Organization;footnote or

  • .2 have successfully undergone, to the satisfaction of the Administration, tests which are substantially equivalent to those specified in those recommendations.

7.1.4 Before giving approval to novel life-saving appliances or arrangements, the Administration should ensure that such appliances or arrangements:

  • .1 provide safety standards at least equivalent to the provisions of this chapter and have been evaluated and tested in accordance with the recommendations of the Organization;footnote or

  • .2 have successfully undergone, to the satisfaction of the Administration, evaluation and tests which are substantially equivalent to those recommendations.

7.1.5 Before accepting life-saving appliances and arrangements that have not been previously approved by the Administration, the Administration should be satisfied that life-saving appliances and arrangements comply with the provisions of this chapter.

7.1.6 Except where otherwise provided in these Guidelines, life-saving appliances required by this chapter for which detailed specifications are not included in the LSA Code should be to the satisfaction of the Administration.

7.1.7 The Administration should require life-saving appliances to be subjected to such production tests as are necessary to ensure that the life-saving appliances are manufactured to the same standard as the approved prototype.

7.1.8 Procedures adopted by the Administration for approval should also include the conditions whereby approval would continue or would be withdrawn.

7.1.9 The Administration should determine the period of acceptability of life-saving appliances which are subject to deterioration with age. Such life-saving appliances should be marked with a means for determining their age or the date by which they should be replaced.

7.1.10 For the purposes of this chapter, unless expressly provided otherwise:

  • .1 Embarkation station is the place from which a survival craft is boarded. An embarkation station may also serve as a muster station, provided there is sufficient room, and the muster station activities can safely take place there.

  • .2 Immersion suit is a protective suit which reduces the body heat-loss of a person wearing it in cold water.

  • .3 Marine evacuation system (MES) is an appliance designed to rapidly transfer a large number of persons from an embarkation station by means of a passage to a floating platform for subsequent embarkation into associated survival craft or directly into associated survival craft.

  • .4 Rescue boat is a boat designed to assist and rescue persons in distress and to marshal survival craft.

  • .5 Survival craft is a craft capable of sustaining the lives of persons in distress from the time of abandoning the craft.

7.2 Communications

Craft should be provided with communications equipment and facilities in accordance with the requirements of the Convention in relation to:

  • .1 radio life-saving appliances;

  • .2 distress flares;

  • .3 onboard communication and alarm systems; and

  • .4 on passenger craft, public address systems.

7.3 Personal Life-Saving Appliances

7.3.1 Passengers should not have access to exposed decks in normal operating conditions. However, where they have such access, personal life-saving appliances should be provided in accordance with the 2000 HSC Code.footnote

7.3.2 A lifejacket complying with the requirements of paragraph 2.2.1 or 2.2.2 of the LSA Code should be provided for every person on board the craft and, in addition:

  • .1 a number of lifejackets suitable for children equal to at least 10% of the number of passengers on board should be provided or such greater number as may be required to provide a lifejacket for each child. These lifejackets should be stowed in readily accessible and conspicuous places;

  • .2 every passenger craft should carry lifejackets for not less than 5% of the total number of persons on board. These lifejackets should be stowed in readily accessible and conspicuous places;

  • .3 a sufficient number of lifejackets should be carried for persons on watch and for use at remotely located survival craft and rescue boat stations; and

  • .4 all lifejackets should be fitted with a light, which complies with the requirements of paragraph 2.2.3 of the LSA Code.

7.3.3 Lifejackets should be so placed as to be readily accessible and their positions should be clearly indicated.

7.3.4 An immersion suit, of an appropriate size, complying with the requirements of paragraph 2.3 of the LSA Code should be provided for every person assigned to crew any rescue boat fitted to the craft.

7.3.5 An immersion suit or anti-exposure suit should be provided for each member of the crew assigned, in the muster list, to duties in an MES party for embarking passengers into survival craft. These immersion suits or anti-exposure suits need not be required if the craft is constantly engaged on voyages in warm climates where, in the opinion of the Administration, such suits are unnecessary.

7.4 Muster List, Emergency Instructions and Manuals

7.4.1 Clear instructions to be followed in the event of an emergency should be provided for each person on board.

7.4.2 Muster lists complying with the requirements of regulation III/37 of the Convention should be exhibited in conspicuous places throughout the craft including the operating compartment and any machinery or crew accommodation spaces.

7.4.3 Illustrations and instructions in appropriate languages should be posted in public spaces and be conspicuously displayed at muster stations, at other passenger spaces and near each seat to inform passengers of:

  • .1 their assembly station;

  • .2 the essential actions they must take in an emergency; and

  • .3 the method of donning lifejackets.

7.4.4 Every passenger craft should have passenger assembly stations:

  • .1 in the vicinity of, and which provide ready access for all the passengers to, the embarkation stations unless in the same location; and

  • .2 which have ample room for the marshalling and instruction of passengers.

7.4.5 A training manual complying with the provisions of 17.2.3 should be provided for the crew at each base port and, where practicable, on board the craft.

7.5 Operating Instructions

Poster or signs should be provided on or in the vicinity of survival craft and their launching controls and should:

  • .1 illustrate the purpose of controls and the procedures for operating the appliance and give relevant instructions and warnings;

  • .2 be easily seen under emergency lighting conditions; and

  • .3 use symbols in accordance with the recommendations of the Organization.footnote

7.6 Survival Craft Stowage

7.6.1 Survival craft should be securely stowed as close as possible to the passenger accommodation and embarkation stations. The stowage should be such that each survival craft can be safely launched in a simple manner and remain secured to the craft during and subsequent to the launching procedure. The length of the securing lines and the arrangements of the bowsing lines should be such as to maintain the survival craft suitably positioned for embarkation. The Administrations may permit the use of adjustable securing and/or bowsing lines at exits where more than one survival craft is used. The securing arrangements for all securing and bowsing lines should be of sufficient strength to hold the survival craft in position during the evacuation process.

7.6.2 Survival craft should be so stowed as to permit release from their securing arrangements at or near to their stowage position on the craft and from a position at or near to the operating compartment.

7.6.3 So far as is practicable, survival craft should be distributed in such a manner that there is an equal capacity on both sides of the craft.

7.6.4 The launching procedure for inflatable liferafts should, where practicable, initiate inflation. Where it is not practicable to provide automatic inflation of liferafts (for example, when the liferafts are associated with an MES), the arrangement should be such that the craft can be safely and efficiently evacuated within the time specified in 3.8.1.

7.6.5 Survival craft should be capable of being launched and then boarded from the designated embarkation stations in all operational conditions and also in all conditions of flooding after receiving damage to the extent described in chapter 1.

7.6.6 Survival craft launching stations should be in such positions as to ensure safe launching having particular regard to clearance from machinery, equipment and overhanging portions of the craft structure.

7.6.7 During preparation and launching, the survival craft and the area of water into which it is to be launched should be adequately illuminated by the lighting supplied from the main and emergency sources of electrical power required by chapter 11.

7.6.8 Means should be available to prevent any discharge of water onto survival craft when launched.

7.6.9 Each survival craft should be stowed:

  • .1 so that neither the survival craft nor its stowage arrangements will interfere with the operation of any other survival craft or rescue boat at any other launching station;

  • .2 in a state of continuous readiness;

  • .3 fully equipped; and

  • .4 as far as practicable, in a secure and sheltered position and protected from damage by fire and explosion.

7.6.10 Every liferaft should be stowed with its painter permanently attached to the craft and with a float free arrangement complying with the requirements of paragraph 4.1.6 of the LSA Code so that, as far as practicable, the liferaft floats free and, if inflatable, inflates automatically should the craft sink.

7.6.11 Any rescue boats fitted to the craft should be stowed:

  • .1 in a state of continuous readiness for launching in not more than 5 min;

  • .2 in a position suitable for launching and recovery; and

  • .3 so that neither the rescue boat nor its stowage arrangements will interfere with the operation of survival craft at any other launching station.

7.6.12 Rescue boats and survival craft should be secured and fastened so that they at least withstand the loads likely to arise due to a defined horizontal collision load for the actual craft and the vertical design load at the stowage position.

7.7 Survival Craft and Rescue Boat Embarkation and Recovery Arrangements

7.7.1 Embarkation stations should be readily accessible from accommodation and work areas. If the designated muster stations are other than the passenger spaces, the muster stations should be readily accessible from the passenger spaces, and the embarkation stations should be readily accessible from the muster stations.

7.7.2 Evacuation routes, exits and embarkation points should comply with the provisions of 3.7.

7.7.3 Alleyways, stairways and exits giving access to the muster and embarkation stations should be adequately illuminated by lighting supplied from the main and emergency source of electrical power required by chapter 11.

7.7.4 MES or equivalent means of evacuation should be provided in order to avoid persons entering the water to board survival craft. Such MES or equivalent means of evacuation should be so designed as to enable persons to board survival craft in all operational conditions and also in all conditions of flooding after receiving damage to the extent prescribed in chapter 1.

7.7.5 Subject to survival craft and rescue boat embarkation arrangements being effective within the environmental conditions in which the craft is permitted to operate and in all undamaged and prescribed damage conditions of trim and heel, where the freeboard between the intended embarkation position and the waterline is not more than 1.5 m, the Administration may accept a system where persons board liferafts directly.

7.7.6 Arrangements for embarkation of any rescue boat fitted in accordance with these Guidelines should be such that the rescue boat can be launched directly from the stowed position and recovered rapidly when loaded with its full complement of persons and equipment.

7.7.7 A safety knife should be provided at each MES embarkation station.

7.8 Line-Throwing Appliance

A line-throwing appliance complying with the requirements of paragraph 7.1 of the LSA Code should be provided.

7.9 Operational Readiness, Maintenance and Inspections

7.9.1 Operational readiness

Before the craft leaves port and at all times during the voyage, all life-saving appliances should be in working order and ready for immediate use.

7.9.2 Maintenance

Appropriate instructions, procedures and information for the maintenance of life-saving appliances provided in accordance with this chapter should be included in the craft's Safety Management System and carried out in accordance with that system.

7.9.3 Spares and repair equipment

Spares and repair equipment should be provided at the base port for life-saving appliances and their components which are subject to excessive wear or consumption and need to be replaced regularly.

7.9.4 Weekly inspection

The following tests and inspections should be carried out weekly:

  • .1 all survival craft, rescue boats and launching appliances should be visually inspected to ensure that they are ready for use;

  • .2 all engines in rescue boats should be run ahead and astern for a total period of not less than 3 min provided the ambient temperature is above the minimum temperature required for starting the engine; and

  • .3 the general emergency alarm system should be tested.

7.9.5 Monthly inspections

Inspection of the life-saving appliances, including survival craft equipment should be carried out monthly using the checklist required by regulation III/36.1 of the Convention to ensure that they are complete and in good order. A report of the inspection should be entered in the log-book.

7.9.6 Servicing of inflatable liferafts, inflatable lifejackets and inflated rescue boats

Every inflatable liferaft, inflatable lifejacket and MES should be serviced:

  • .1 at intervals not exceeding 12 months, provided where in any case this is impracticable, the Administration may extend this period by one month; and

    .2 at an approved servicing station which is competent to service them, maintains proper servicing facilities and uses only properly trained personnel.footnote

7.9.7 All repairs and maintenance of inflated rescue boats should be carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

7.9.8 Periodic servicing of hydrostatic release units

Hydrostatic release units should be serviced:

  • .1 at intervals not exceeding 12 months, provided where in any case this is impracticable, the Administration may extend this period by one month; and

  • .2 at a servicing station which is competent to service them, maintains proper servicing facilities and uses only properly trained personnel.

7.10 Survival Craft and Rescue Boats

7.10.1 All craft should carry:

  • .1 survival craft with sufficient capacity as will accommodate not less than 100% of the total number of persons the craft is certified to carry, subject to a minimum of two such survival craft being carried;

  • .2 in addition, survival craft with sufficient aggregate capacity to accommodate not less than 10% of the total number of persons the craft is certified to carry;

  • .3 in the event of any one survival craft being lost or rendered unserviceable, sufficient survival craft to accommodate the total number of persons the craft is certified to carry;

  • .4 where passengers or crew have access outside the craft during a voyage, at least one rescue boat for retrieving persons from the water, but not less than one such boat on each side when the craft is certified to carry more than 450 passengers; and

  • .5 craft of less than 30 m in length are exempted from the requirements of .4 provided the craft meets all of the following provisions:

    • .1 the craft is arranged to allow a helpless person to be recovered from the water;

    • .2 recovery of the helpless person can be observed from the operating compartment;

    • .3 the craft is sufficiently manoeuvrable to close in and recover persons in the worst intended conditions; and

    • .4 each survival craft is fitted with a search and rescue transponder (SART).

7.10.2 Where the Administration considers it appropriate, in view of the sheltered nature of the voyages and the suitable climatic conditions of the intended area of operations, the Administration may permit the use of open reversible inflatable liferafts complying with annex 7 on assisted craft as an alternative to liferafts complying with paragraph 4.2 or 4.3 of the LSA Code.

Parent topic: Part B - Interim Recommendations
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