Container Ship Safety Forum e.V. (CSSF) released a statement today to call for a reinvention of the lifeboat onboard cargo vessels so safety can be improved.
Need For Change
According to CSSF, over the years, many seafarers have been injured – some of them fatally – while launching the lifeboat during evacuations or evacuation drills. Not because the lifeboats have not been compliant with safety standards, but simply because the launch of a lifeboat is a dangerous task to perform. Aslak Ross, Chairman of the CSSF highlighted that there is a need to reinvent the lifeboat and its launching equipment onboard cargo vessels. Lifeboats are an essential part of crew safety onboard every vessel but seafarers are way too often getting injured when launching the lifeboat. Instead of focusing on how to improve the lifeboat itself, focus has been on compliance and training, he added. “Everyone knows there is a problem as seafarers are scared to launch lifeboats. However, no one has offered a plausible path towards a solution to the problem for cargo vessels” Ross claimed.
Simulation
Aslak Ross finds that simulation and use of new technology is one way to conduct drills in a safer environment, and CSSF supports the intent to reduce the risk of accidents. However, he adds, it does not solve the core of the problem: Launching a lifeboat is too dangerous. And even though simulation has its advantages, it should only be used as a supplement to well-conducted onboard abandon ship drills where crews are familiarized with the ship’s specific equipment.
According to CSSF, in the so-called hierarchy of controls – a 5-level system widely used in industries to minimize or eliminate exposure to hazards – training is on second lowest level to minimize risks, while removing and replacing the hazards are considered the two most effective actions to eliminate risks. Therefore, the CSSF encourages the industry, classification societies, flag states and suppliers to launch innovation to replace current lifeboats with a safer technology.
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Source: Safety4sea
