There are 3 ways to launching a self inflating life raft. By Hydrostatic Release Unit, by manual and by davit. Here I will tell you details of launching procedures.
1. Manual Liferaft Launching Procedure
- Check that one end of the painter of the raft is well secured to a strong point on ship’s deck or structure.
- Remove the lashing from the container of the raft and open the way to portable rail if available.
- Check the ship side where the raft to be launched is clear.
- Two people should lift the container from both sides horizontally and throw the container.
- Make sure the painter is still fixed at a strong point so that the raft should not be waved away by waters.
- Pull the painter with a hard jerk to fire the gas bottle to inflate the raft.
- The life raft will take 20-30 sec to inflate.
- Board the life raft one by one using ladder or rope.
- Avoid sharp objects like knives, shoes and other sharp objects etc which may damage the raft surface.
- When everybody is aboard, after a headcount, cut the painter with a sharp knife.
2. HRU Auto Release Liferaft Launching Procedure
- HRU acts as a connecting media between life raft container and ship deck, where it is stored.
- The HRU comes in action under the pressure of water exerted on HRU when the ship sinks below 4m of water level.
- The HRU consists of a sharp knife or chisel which is used to cut the strap lashed over the container carrying life raft, but it still holds the painter at the weak link.
- The HRU is connected to the container through a lashing arrangement which can be disengaged quickly by means of slip hook when launching the raft manually.
- The HRU is connected to a strong point on deck through a weak link.
- When vessel sinks, the HRU cuts the rope and the container floats to the surface of water.
- As vessel sinks further, the tension in the painter causes the life raft to inflate out of the container.
- The tension acting on the weak link will cause it to break making the life raft free from the ship.
- When vessel sinks, the HRU cuts the rope and the container floats to the surface of water.
3. Davit Release Liferaft Launching Procedure
- Open the lashing and remove the raft container from HRU by opening the manual slip hook or bottle screw arrangement.
- Tie up the one end of the painter of raft into a strong point at deck.
- Keep the container in the open and attach the davit hook to the given eye in the canister/ container
- Take up the raft load by davit and keep the container hanging at embarkation deck area.
- Pull the painter and inflate the raft. Have a thorough check on the inflated raft.
- Start boarding the raft without the shoes and other sharp object.
- After the boarding is completed, check the bottom is clear and release the securing lines.
- Someone inside the raft will detach the hook of the davit from the raft when raft is just above the water.
- The davit operating person will board the raft either by jumping in to the sea, raft or by other boarding means if provided.
- Cut the painter and cast away the raft from ship.