200120 Lifeboat Remote Release

Lifeboat Remote Release
Report No. 200120

We recently had one vessel lose control of a lifeboat as it was being lowered to the main deck as part of an abandon ship drill.

Prior to lowering all equipment was checked, including the remote release wires which are notoriously problematical. As the boat was swung out from the stowed position, the remote release wire to the boat fouled on the winch and this lifted the dead-man brake arm with such force that it swung it through 180 degrees. This had the effect of allowing the boat to run free to the water which was only a matter of seconds as the ship was fully laden.

There was inadequate time to cut the wire or take any other measure that could prevent the boat running away. As the boat bounced along the side of the ship, held by the forward painter and the falls, the alarm was raised and steps taken to stop the vessel (not easy on a fully loaded VLCC). Unfortunately before the way could be taken off the vessel, the side door on the lifeboat gave way, allowing an appreciable quantity of water into the boat. This extra weight lead to failure of one of the falls and to serious structural damage of the lifeboat. Fortunately no one was inside the boat at the time and there were no personal injuries. Damage to the boat was extensive and major repairs had to be made at the next opportunity.

The basic cause of the incident was deemed to be the fouling of the release wire on the winch drum, a basic design fault common to just about all lifeboats these days. This was not the first incident of this kind, but certainly the most serious. In addition to remote release wire problems, we have also experienced difficulties with release gear, though improved training and testing have reduced these incidents considerably. Crews are now very wary of lifeboats in general, something that is very easy to understand given their record over the last few years.

We are now looking at all options so that we can make the situation safer and regain the confidence of the ship's crews who may one day have to trust their lives to this equipment.

How can something so important be so fundamentally unsafe? Why don't the authorities (IMO, Class etc) take steps to ensure that lifeboats are designed with greater margins of safety? How can we get all concerned parties working together so that the situation can be improved?