200743 Inadvertent lifeboat hook release

Compiled from 13th session of the IMO Sub-committee on Flag-State Implementation

During a lifeboat drill, the crew had difficulty resetting the lifeboat's on-load release hooks. The forward hook opened spontaneously when the lifeboat had been hoisted just clear of the water. The forward end of the lifeboat fell to the water but it was undamaged and there were no injuries to the crew. The lifeboat was eventually recovered after it had been lowered back to the water and the hooks correctly reset.

Root cause/contributory factors
Inadequate understanding and/or improper operation of the lifeboat hook on-load release system and resetting procedure;
The forward hook had not been correctly reset;
The design of the on-load release system allowed the operating handles to be moved to the reset position and locked when the hook locking mechanisms were not fully engaged;
The crew could not clearly observe when the hook locking mechanisms were fully and correctly reset;
There had been similar incidents in the past which had neither been properly investigated nor followed up with effective corrective actions.

Editor's note: Failure to take appropriate corrective action and recurrence of the same unsafe incident may well put the ISM Code certificates, the ship's Safety Management Certificate (SMC) and the company's Document of Compliance (DOC) in jeopardy.

Lessons learnt (for MARS 200741, 42 and 43)
Operations involving the maintenance and operation of lifeboat on-load release systems are inherently risky. Every ship should have safe procedures and detailed instructions, easily understood by the crew, for the maintenance and operation of these systems.
At every opportunity, the crew must be thoroughly drilled in the proper procedures for operating of equipment and controls, and for training purposes on deck, laminated photographs or drawings will prove very useful.
During operations, crew members must be encouraged to monitor the actions of each other so that an error chain can be spotted and promptly broken.