200037 Hydrostatic Release Units

Hydrostatic Release Units
Report No. 200037

REPORT 1

I have often found that when the rafts have been ashore for service, the hydrostatic units are wrongly attached by the crew. These errors have even been made by experienced, senior European officers, sometimes by those holding Master's licences.

The most common mistake concerns the way the weak link is connected to the release unit or the painter. I have often found it to have been connected directly to the release unit or to the cradle, and not to the painter line or the shackle connected to the painter line.

Another common mistake concerns the way the painter line is connected. The crew often connect it directly to the ship's structure so that the raft will not break free should the vessel sink. I think that it is a small subject that is overlooked during college. Attention is given to the reason and working principle of a hydrostatic release unit but little attention is given to practising their use and connection. There are of course also many models around, which may vary considerable in construction.

REPORT 2

I recently inspected some safety aspects of a passenger ferry and found that some of the liferafts were incorrectly secured. Some of the painters were attached only to the weak link. They would float free if the ship sank but would not work correctly in a more controlled abandonment as the system relies critically on the painter being made fast to a strong point. The dynamic shock of the rafts being thrown overboard could break the weak link and, therefore, instead of pulling out the painter, the whole liferaft could be lost. I requested to see the Captain to point this out to him and was met by the Safety Officer. When I showed him the problem, his reply was that the ship had recently been visited by a Government Official and had passed his inspection. No further action was taken by the ship's staff except to say that they would seek clarification from the Flag State.