Emergency life rafts are an important component of marine lifesaving equipment, designed to provide escape and survival for personnel in distress at sea. They can be quickly deployed and float on the water, providing a safe refuge platform for personnel to await further rescue. There are various types of emergency life rafts, and the proper storage location and deployment process are crucial to ensure the efficiency and safety of lifesaving operations. This article will provide a detailed introduction to the types and deployment steps of emergency life rafts.
Inflatable Emergency Life Raft
Inflatable emergency life rafts are the most widely used type of marine lifesaving equipment, favored for their simple structure and ease of use.
Classification: Depending on their deployment method, there are throw-overboard emergency life rafts and davit-launched emergency life rafts. The most common are throw-overboard life rafts, while davit-launched life rafts are often used on passenger ships.
Advantages: Simple operation, small size, easy to store, and can be quickly deployed onto the water. They are the most commonly used lifesaving equipment on modern ships.
Traditional Emergency Life Raft
This type of emergency life raft is less commonly used. It is made of galvanized iron sheet, aluminum alloy plate, stainless steel plate, or plastic materials. The bottom is usually made of wooden grid boards, and the buoyancy part consists of multiple air compartments. The raft is typically equipped with a fixed canopy and entry/exit points and is deployed via a sliding rack or davit.
Advantages: Simple structure and low cost.
Disadvantages: Large size, heavy, carries fewer people, and the deployment, maintenance, and boarding are not as convenient as inflatable emergency life rafts. Today, rigid emergency life rafts have mostly been replaced by inflatable ones and are rarely used.
When deploying an inflatable emergency life raft in an emergency situation on a ship, it is crucial to deploy the emergency life raft quickly and accurately. The steps for deployment are as follows:
Release the Hydrostatic Release Unit: First, open the chain hook on the hydrostatic release unit to let it fall, or manually operate the release hook to release the raft from the raft rack into the sea. Alternatively, the emergency life raft can be manually thrown into the water.
Inflate: If the emergency life raft has not automatically inflated and the distance from the ship's deck to the water is less than 11 meters, or if the emergency life raft is not fully inflated, manually pull out the painter and open the valve of the inflation cylinder to inflate the raft and allow it to float on the water.
Righting the Emergency Life Raft: If the emergency life raft enters the water in an overturned state, it should be righted quickly. The person righting the raft should wear a life jacket, stand on the raft bottom, and grasp the righting strap with both hands to stabilize the raft bottom. Ensure to right the raft against the wind direction to ensure the emergency life raft can be used normally.
As an important piece of marine lifesaving equipment, the types and deployment processes of emergency life rafts are directly related to the safety of the crew and passengers. Understanding and mastering the use of different types of emergency life rafts, as well as quickly and correctly deploying them in distress, can provide vital safety assurance for ships in emergencies.
English
