The International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) has developed a new global standard that aims to ensure the safety of people who fall overboard on ships.
What’s new?
The new standard, known as ‘ISO / PAS 21195, Ships and marine technology Systems, for the detection of personnel while going overboard ships (Man overboard detection)’, is intended to improve the technology that detects ‘man overboard’ accidents and helps them to get on-board safely.
ISO/PAS 21195 features a number of globally agreed technical specifications for systems, which are designed to detect whether a person has fallen overboard from a passenger ship.
What it Includes?
The standard includes details of the expected performance of these systems across a variety of environmental and incident conditions.
It also aims to standardise and clearly define the required technical specifications for emergency systems that are used for the passenger cruise industry.
Positive intention
ISO/TC 8/SC 1 chair Robin Townsend said: “With everyone working from the same set of requirements, manufacturers can more easily evaluate the safety, effectiveness and performance of the systems.”
“This also provides a strong foundation on which new technologies can be developed.”
“Our intention is now to develop the document into a full International Standard. Therefore, we encourage feedback and input from relevant stakeholders such as those in the cruise ship industry, systems developers or advocacy groups, to ensure it is as robust and effective as possible.”
State of Urgency
According to the 2018 Cruise Industry Outlook, provided by the Cruise Lines International Association, more than 27 million holidaymakers are expected to embark on a cruising holiday this year.
It is unfortunate that the safety of these cruise ships is rarely questioned, despite the fact that an average of 21 ‘man overboard’ incidents occur every year, as stated in the ‘Report on Operational Incidents 2009 to 2016’, which was prepared by G.P. Wild consulting for CLIA Global.
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Source: ISO
That seems like a pretty good safety guard but a person Can easily remove that tag IF for instance they wanted to push a person overboard..
but it’s a good safeguard for accidental man overboard..
the rails do already make that quite hard to do accidentally.
But it’s good idea to start some sort of tracking and would make for a safer system than the system that isn’t in place now.
Also CCTV cameras at a good height , covering all the side decks where passengers can leap or be pushed quite easily, is an immediate solution against unlawfully manhandling someone overboard..
it seem long long overdue..
I would think that wrist or ankle bands that are detected by equipment when a person get to far away from a sensing device, would be better. An example might be what prisoners on house arrest wear but smaller and lighter. and can be removed once in the port of debarkation