5.5 Safe deployment of evacuation systems and survival craft
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Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Circulars - Maritime Safety Committee - MSC.1/Circular.1329 – Guidelines for Uniform Operating Limitations of High-Speed Craft – (11 June 2009) - Annex – Guidelines for Uniform Operating Limitations of High-Speed Craft - 5 Sea State Limitations – Significant Wave Height - 5.5 Safe deployment of evacuation systems and survival craft

5.5 Safe deployment of evacuation systems and survival craft

  5.5.1 The Code places great emphasis on the ability to evacuate a high-speed craft quickly and safely, the maximum evacuation time being linked (in paragraph 4.8.1) to the structural fire protection time. To this end, paragraph 8.6.5 of the Code requires that: “Survival craft shall be capable of being launched and then boarded ... in all operational conditions and also in all conditions of flooding ...”.

  5.5.2 “All operational conditions” includes all intact loading conditions without reference to environmental conditions. “All conditions of flooding” was included to take account of the need to provide for evacuation of the craft under the damage conditions defined in chapter 2 of the Code.

  5.5.3 Where the craft is to be evacuated by MES complying with the requirements of the Code, the Code assumes that the environmental conditions required for the heavy weather sea trial (in accordance with paragraph 12.6 of the Revised recommendation on testing of life-saving appliances (resolution MSC.81(70) as amended) provide an assurance of operability of the MES in heavy weather. Experience has shown that heavy weather sea trials in more severe conditions than those specified for type approval of MES involve substantial physical danger for the personnel involved.

  5.5.4 Where the craft is to be evacuated directly into survival craft in accordance with paragraph 8.7.5 of the Code without the use of MES, Administrations may require evacuation trials on the craft or an identical sister high-speed craft to be conducted in weather and sea conditions up to the worst intended conditions specified in the Permit to Operate, in order to assure itself that such evacuation can be carried out safely in such conditions.

Parent topic: 5 Sea State Limitations – Significant Wave Height
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