Marine survival and rescue systems 10p

by the same author An Introduction to Helicopter Operations at Sea Navigation for Masters Seamanship Techniques Vols I & II Second Edition by DAVID HOUSE British Library Cataloguing in Publication data House, David Marine Survival and Rescue Systems Title ISBN 85609 127 All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright owner While the principles discussed and the details given in this book are the product of careful study, the author and publisher cannot in any way guarantee the suitability of recommendations made in this book for individual problems, and they shall not be under any legal liability of any kind in respect of or arising out of the form or contents of this book or any error therein, or the reliance of any person thereon LONDON WITHERBY & CO L TD 32-36 Aylesbury Street London ECIR OET ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to express his thanks and appreciation to the many people who have assisted with this book and in particular to: Activity Marine Aerospatial, Helicopter Division Avon Inflatables Beaufort Air-Sea Equipment Limited Berwyn Marine Safety Boeing Vertol Company Bond Helicopters Burndept Electronics C M Hammar AB Dunlop Marine Safety Limited E H Industries Limited FR Fassmer and Co GEC Mechanical Handling Limited Halmatic Limited (Osborne Rescue Boats) Hawker Siddeley Marine Limited Hays Space Technology Limited Helly-Hansen Institute of Naval Medicine: Lieutenant Commander M A Wagstaff, RN, Surgeon Captain (Frank) Golden, OBE, RN John Cairns Limited (for extracts from the International Manual of Marine Safety and The S.O.S Manual John Lilly and Gillie Limited Lambie Lifeboats Limited Land and Marine Products Lifeguard Equipment Limited Lokata Limited The Nautical Campus, Blackpool and Fylde College, Fleetwood RFD Limited Royal Aircraft Establishment Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service and the Ministry of Defence The Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy Solas Limited Survival Systems International vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The United States Coast Guard Viking A/S Nordisk Gummibadsfabrik Watercraft International Limited Welin Lambie Limited West Lancashire Evening Gazette Westland Helicopters Limited William Mills Marine Limited and especially to publishers William Heinemann Limited for use and consideration of the book Seamanship Techniques, Volumes I and II REGULATIONS CONCERNING THE SAFETY OF LIFE AT SEA The revised text and features contained in this book relate to the 1974 SOLAS Convention and the 1978 SOLAS Protocol and subsequent amendments in force Published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1975 In addition to the SOLAS amendments the text relates substantially to The Merchant Shipping (Life-Saving Appliances) Regulations, and the respective amendments to date (1996) The regulations apply to ships registered in the United Kingdom, wherever they may be and to other ships while within any port in the United Kingdom or territorial waters Marine students are advised that the requirements of the IMO and the Marine Directorate of the Department of Transport for the United Kingdom are closely aligned but not always coincide Specific detail relating to other countries' national maritime policies should also be taken into account using the respective legislation of that country in question viii IX INTRODUCTION Marine Survival and Rescue Systems Since the publication of the first edition of Marine Survival and Rescue Systems in 1988, the marine industry has experienced numerous changes Many of these being unfortunately as a direct result of highly publici sed maritime disasters: Piper Alpha, Herald of Free Enterprise, Estonia to name but three The Cullen Report, on the Piper Alpha incident investigated numerous maritime safety aspects directly related to not only personal safety from the parent structure but also recovery methods from the sea itself Many companies and organisations have taken up the challenge to provide adequate and acceptable ideas by way of new equipment, improved training methods and improved services to lessen the overall risks within the marine environment It is however a fact of life that we not live in the ideal world and the unknown factor of the weather, human failing or defective equipment very often results in the inevitable accident It seems all to often that we only learn after the event has occured and maybe, just maybe the industry should look in more depth towards "damage limitation" and provide our people at sea with realistic disaster response training It is clear from past experiences that our mariners have limited training in actual disaster response The possible reason for this may lie in the standards of existing operations being reasonably high that major incidents occur rarely If and when they occur our seafarers have never experienced the like before and shock or ignorance does not prevent the situation from esculating beyond manageable proportions xi INTRODUCTION CONTENTS The example of the Estonia, where the ship developed a large list before sinking should have generated alarms sooner rather than later This trade off between panicked passengers through an unnecessary alarm, or dead passengers through no alarm should be more deeply investigated Their remains many lessons to learn for the seafarer and the rescue services let us hope in the future we have the good sense to learn before the event rather than after the disaster D J House Page Acknowledgements Regulations concerning the 'Safety of Life at Sea' Introduction vii ix xi Chapter Evacuation Systems and Marine Requirements 1.1 1.2 1.3 1 1.8 1.9 Introduction Actions before abandoning ship or offshore installation Survival craft: manning requirements applicable to all ships Responsibilities of coxswains when abandoning ship or installation Methods of evacuation Survival actions by persons in the water Actions by persons in survival craft (of the totally enclosed type) Main dangers to survivors Summary Immersion Suits, Lifejackets and Buoyancy Aids 31 2.1 2.2 31 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 Introduction Requirements for the provision of immersion suits and thermal protective aids on ships General requirements for immersion suits Requirements for thermal protective aids (not to be confused with immersion suits) Requirements for the provision of lifejackets on ships General requirements for lifejackets Twin chamber (automatic) lifejackets The aviation lifejacket General requirements and specifications for lifebuoys Summary 36 39 40 41 42 43 46 Emergency Alarms and on Board Training 49 3.1 Introduction 49 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 2.3 2.4 xii Xlll 26 26 28 30 31 34 CONTENTS CONTENTS 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Emergency communications (applicable to passenger and cargo ships) Emergency alarm signals Survival craft: on board training and drills Survival craft: external training facilities Summary 49 52 53 55 60 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 6.10 Launching and recovery arrangements for survival craft Embarkation and launching of survival craft Release gear for survival craft Definition of freefall launching Types of rigid survival craft Summary 153 155 156 160 160 171 Helicopter Operations and Aircraft Identification 63 Boat Handling: Oars, Power, and Sail Theory 173 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Introduction Shipboard operations with helicopters Deck officer's check-list for helicopter operations General precautions for seafarers working with helicopters Deck landing example Passenger safety for helicopter transit Offshore installations: helideck detail Operational details for helidecks In-flight emergency over the sea surface Search and rescue operations involving helicopters Evacuation methods by helicopter Helicopter operations Summary 63 63 66 69 69 71 73 74 76 85 88 92 106 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 Introduction Power boat handling theory Requirements for lifeboat (engine) propulsion Engine start methods for motor lifeboats Use of wave-quelling oil with small boats Beaching technique for a lifeboat Evacuation by survival (rigid) craft Sail theory Summary 173 174 179 181 184 185 188 194 196 Liferafts: Construction and Operation 197 General Boatwork: Lifeboat Requirements, Construction and Equipment 109 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 5.10 5.11 Introduction Requirements for the provision of lifeboats on ships General requirements for lifeboats Lifeboat construction Additional fittings to lifeboats Lifeboat fitments Lifeboat equipment General information regarding lifeboats Requirements for totally enclosed lifeboats Requirements for rigid survival craft Summary 109 109 111 113 117 119 119 126 128 135 141 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9 8.10 8.11 Introduction Inflatable liferafts: constructional requirements Launching the inflatable liferaft Hydrostatic release: method of operation Float-free arrangements for liferafts Liferaft equipment Miscellaneous requirements for liferafts Rigid liferafts: construction requirements Davit-launched liferafts Operations with survival craft Summary 197 197 200 202 205 206 209 211 214 220 223 Personal Survival 225 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Introduction Survival craft operations Liferaft operations Management of liferafts Summary 225 225 232 234 238 Stowage, Launching and Recovery Systems for Rigid Survival Craft 143 10 Rescue Boats 239 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Introduction 143 Requirements for launching and stowage of survival craft 143 Requirements for launching appliances 145 Launching procedure 149 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Introduction Rescue boat regulations General requirements for rescue boats Rescue boat categories 239 240 241 245 3.2 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 XIV xv CONTENTS 249 250 252 253 260 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 10.9 Designated rescue boats (shore based) Rescue boat equipment Inflated rescue boats: additional requirements Fast rescue craft (FRC) operations Summary 11 Medical Advice for Emergency Treatment Marine Casualties 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.8 Introduction Hypothermia Treatment of casualties in survival craft Heat exhaustion Heatstroke Casualties with burns Severe bleeding Summary 263 263 272 274 274 274 276 276 12 Emergency Communications Coastguard 279 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Introduction Survival craft: methods of attracting attention Procedure for using an emergency transmitter Use of emergency position-indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) Satellite monitoring systems Surface vessel/aircraft radio communications frequencies The work of the coastguard Enhanced airborne radar Surface-to-air visual signals Air-to-surface visual signals Equipment droppable by aircraft Ship reporting systems Use of rocket line throwing apparatus Breeches buoy operation Summary 12.5 12.6 12.7 12.8 12.9 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 of 263 xvi EVACUATION SYSTEMS AND MARINE REQUIREMENTS and the Work of the 279 280 281 285 287 292 293 295 295 299 299 302 304 305 308 309 311 Additional reference Index Chapter One 1.1 Introduction Chapter introduces the need for personnel working within the marine industry to become aware of changing ideas However, throughout the book readers should ask themselves the following questions: How would you behave in the same circumstances? Do you have the will to survive? If the reader is without a positive attitude to both these thoughts, all the text that follows will be of little avail 1.2 Actions Before Abandoning Ship or Offshore Installation When disaster strikes a ship or offshore structure those persons in authority may be compelled to order the vessel or installation to be abandoned Since the parent ship or structure provides all life-support systems, any decision to abandon is not taken lightly However, should the mother vessel be no longer habitable because of collision, fire, explosion, toxic substance or MARINE SURVIVAL AND RESCUE SYSTEMS EVACUA nON capsize, or for any other reason, the order to abandon may be gIven rather than by survival craft For evacuation by survival craft, a coxswain or boat's marshal checks off crew names against the muster list and instructs personnel in the preparation of tasks for launching the boat Should time permit, additional safety items should be collected before the launching These items may include: Should this occur, as with the Ocean Ranger disaster in February 1982*, persons on board will have a responsibility not only to themselves and to others but also to prolong the safety of the ship or structure All working operations, for example, should cease immediately and power or electrical sources should be switched off and isolated so as not to be left in a dangerous state Individuals should avoid panic, and should try to remain calm, which is not always easy when tensions are high Persons should respond quickly, without running, to the type of alarm that has been activated All ships and offshore installations have specific alarms for different types of emergency and these may vary in form from ship to ship, or installation to installation (see Chapter 3) For example, fire alarm bells are used instead of klaxons for boat or muster stations Whatever the emergency, personnel should seek basic protective clothing or safe haven, unless allocated a specific task The circumstances will dictate what actions should be taken by personnel In an escalating emergency where abandonment is a likely outcome, warm clothing, preferably a thermal suit, covered by an immersion or survival suit, is essential Failing this, a good set of waterproof oilskins over layers of warm clothing is a reasonable substitute A lifejacket should be donned and secured tightly Individuals in cold water with a badly secured jacket would find the task of resecuring with wet, cold hands extremely difficult if not impossible SYSTEMS AND MARINE REQUIREMENTS (a) Emergency transmitter, emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or walkie-talkie radio (b) Search and Rescue Radar Transponder (SART) (c) Additional water supplies and food (d) Spare blankets (e) Lifebelts and additional lifejackets (f) Medical supplies It is normal practice that the order to abandon from ship or installation is passed by word of mouth Personnel in boats should be seated and strapped into position The coxswain assumes command of operations within the craft, and persons should remember that the launching period is critical, and that the concentration of the coxswain should not be interrupted except in exceptional circumstances It is a period of tension and it is within survivors' own interests to allow persons with designated tasks to be left alone to get on with the job in hand Keep alert, and unless you have constructive comment regarding the situation, keep quiet Assist other people inside the craft, especially injured personnel, if you can Make casualties as comfortable as possible and try to reassure them that everything is going well, even when the situation may appear difficult *The Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) Ocean Ranger capsized on 15 February 1982 off the East Coast of Canada AJI 84 persons on board died The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause for the disaster was due to the flooding of the anchor chain lockers in the forward columns, when the unit took an adverse list of 10-15° The list was the result of liquid transfer from other tanks within the Ocean Ranger The baJlast control console suffered an electrical malfunction and the crew were unable to fuJly control the ballast system Circumstances will present marine personnel with possible options and although these options may well differ from ship to installation the priority listing can generally be applied to both Where helicopter evacuation is possible for all parties this is probably the safest and most convenient method Discussion within the context of this book will be directly related to the alternatives available, such as the totally enclosed boat However, it is possible that boats may not be capable of being launched due to listing of the parent ship or structure Consequently, additional alternatives may be required, such as davit-launched liferafts and/or marine slides, both of which permit dry evacuation into the inflated liferafts Direct transfer, especially Persons should move quickly to their designated muster point or survival station, unless direct orders to the contrary are issued For example, evacuation may take place from a helideck MARINE SUR VIVAL AND RESCUE SYSTEMS EVACUA nON from installations on to an emergency stand-by vessel (ESV) should also be considered as a viable option The person in charge of a survival craft shall have a list of the survival craft crew, and ensure that they are familiar with their duties The second in command of the lifeboats will also have a similar list The Odele development (see pp 20-23) has employed the davit-launched raft principle to effect direct transfer on to the deck of an ESV Similar thinking provides the basis for the GEC Personnel Evacuation System, where a small Survival Systems International capsule is transferred to a supporting vessel With any of the alternatives which might present themselves during an emergency, an individual's actions must be subject to variation depending on the emergency and the circumstances that surround it 1.3 Survival Craft: Manning Requirements Applicable to all Ships The regulations specify that there shall be a sufficiently trained number of persons on board a ship for the mustering and assisting of untrained persons A sufficient number of crew members, who may be deck officers or certificated persons, are required on board for the operation of survival craft and implementation of launching arrangements for an abandonment by the total number of persons on board A deck officer or certificated person shall be placed in charge of each survival craft However, the administration authority of the ship's country of origin, having due regard to the nature of the voyage and the characteristics of the ship, may permit persons practised in the handling and operation of liferafts to be placed in charge of liferafts instead of the persons qualified as above The Master shall ensure that persons qualified to carry out respective duties regarding the boatwork operations shall be allocated among all the ship's survival craft Every motorized boat shall have a person assigned to it who can operate the engine and carry out minor adjustments Every lifeboat which carries a radio telegraph installation shall also have a person assigned to it who is capable of operating the equipment SYSTEMS AND MARINE REQUIREMENTS 1.4 Responsibilities of Coxswains when Abandoning Ship or Installation Check that all persons are wearing lifejackets and that they are secured in the correct manner Ensure that all persons are correctly attired, preferably with warm clothing and a waterproof top covering Inspect the craft prior to embarking personnel and ensure that all equipment and the craft itself is in good order and not suffering from any defects Establish his or her authority and maintain discipline within the craft Pass all orders in a loud clear voice to ensure the safe launch and handling of the craft Check overside, or order an inspection overside to observe that the surface is clear of debris and other survivors The line of descent should be clear and noted to be free of obstructions  ... in question viii IX INTRODUCTION Marine Survival and Rescue Systems Since the publication of the first edition of Marine Survival and Rescue Systems in 1988, the marine industry has experienced... of Marine Safety and The S.O.S Manual John Lilly and Gillie Limited Lambie Lifeboats Limited Land and Marine Products Lifeguard Equipment Limited Lokata Limited The Nautical Campus, Blackpool and. .. 238 Stowage, Launching and Recovery Systems for Rigid Survival Craft 143 10 Rescue Boats 239 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Introduction 143 Requirements for launching and stowage of survival craft 143 Requirements