Section 8 Recovery of persons from the water
Clasification Society 2024 - Version 9.40
Clasifications Register Rules and Regulations - Rules and Regulations for the Classification of Naval Ships, January 2023 - Volume 3 Additional Class Notations - Part 1 Ship Type Capability - Chapter 7 Boat and Waterborne Operations - Section 8 Recovery of persons from the water

Section 8 Recovery of persons from the water

8.1 General

8.1.1 This section details the requirements for onboard arrangements for the recovery of persons in the water to the parent vessel.

8.2 Recovery of persons from the water

8.2.1 A means of providing assisted recovery of persons from the water shall be provided on each side of the parent vessel; this should consist of a fixed provision onboard the parent vessel, such as a Swimmer of the Watch davit, but may be made by the provision of rescue boats or helicopters where acceptable to the Naval Administration.

8.2.2 For recovery means utilising a fixed onboard provision the following requirements are to be met.

8.2.3 A fixed arm davit having a minimum safe working load (SWL) of 300 kg to facilitate a two-person lift or, for vessels with a reduced number of crew, a minimum SWL of 150 kg for a single-lift capability is to be provided on each side.

8.2.4 The davit shall be located so as to minimise the distance to the sea surface and the effects of parent vessel pitching and be well clear of the propeller or other ship’s side protrusions. Where possible it should be located coincident with the embarkation station.

8.2.5 It shall allow the swimmer and the recovered person to be returned onboard via a break in the rail or bulwark and have sufficient clear deck space for the swimmer and recovered personnel, including line handlers. A stretcher route is to be provided to an appropriate first aid facility.

8.2.6 The davit shall be manually slewed and operated and provided with a hoisting rope fitted with a stopper and soft eye for the attachment of individual rescue strops. Recovery is expected to be conducted by crew members; however, a spool shall be provided for the hoisting line when not in use.

8.2.7 A separate reel with ship’s side attachment shall be provided at each installation with a floating lifeline of not less than the ship’s length overall in length.

8.2.8 The provision of rescue strops, recovery stretchers or baskets and swimmer’s equipment is to be to the satisfaction of the Owner but shall be demonstrated compatible with operation of the installation.

8.2.9 All structural components of the davit and winch arrangement are to be designed in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Code for Lifting Appliances in a Marine Environment, July 2022, Ch 3 Launch and Recovery Appliances for Survival Craft and Rescue Boats. They shall be tested in accordance with the requirements of the Code for Lifting Appliances in a Marine Environment, July 2022, Ch 3, 1.12 Testing, although this need only be done at 0° heel and trim.

8.2.10 All loose gear shall be prototype tested to 6 times the SWL and supplied and tested in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Code for Lifting Appliances in a Marine Environment, July 2022, Ch 3, 1.9 Loose gear.

8.2.11 The recovery position, ship’s side and the area of water alongside shall be adequately illuminated by appropriate lighting. These are to be positioned to avoid shining directly on the swimmer and recovered person. Where dark adaptation lighting is required this shall be suitable for night vision equipment.

8.2.12 All recovery equipment shall be clearly identified with tags or other permanent marking so as to enable identification of each item for the purposes of survey, inspection and record keeping. A record shall be kept on the ship as to the date each identified item is placed into service and any repairs effected.

8.2.13 All recovery equipment shall be kept clean, properly maintained and stowed and shall be regularly inspected to ensure that they are safe to use. They shall be used solely for the embarkation and disembarkation of personnel.

8.2.14 For the recovery of large numbers of persons from the water, ship-specific plans and procedures shall be provided, taking into account the guidelines in MSC.1/Circular.1447 – Guidelines for the Development of Plans and Procedures for Recovery of Persons from the Water – (14 December 2012).’ The plans and procedures shall identify the equipment intended to be used for recovery purposes and measures to be taken to minimize the risk to shipboard personnel involved in recovery operations.

8.2.15 Where the parent vessel has a specific role in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) involving the intended recovery of large numbers of persons from the water, then the specific provision of recovery arrangements is outside the scope of this notation. Guidance for this role may be taken from the Emergency Response and Rescue Vessel Survey Guidelines and Management Guidelines published by Oil and Gas UK.

8.2.16 Where acceptable to the Owner, compliance with this section may be used for the provision of a means of ingress and egress to the water for divers.


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