2.5 Lifebuoys, Man-Overboard Equipment & Recovery of Persons from the Water
Key Takeaways
- A SOLAS lifebuoy has an outer diameter of not more than 800 mm and an inner diameter of not less than 400 mm, a mass of at least 2.5 kg, and must support 14.5 kg of iron in fresh water for 24 hours.
- Lifebuoy buoyant lifelines must be not less than twice the height at which the buoy is stowed above the waterline in the lightest seagoing condition, or 30 metres, whichever is greater.
- A lifebuoy fitted with a self-activating smoke signal and a quick-release arrangement from the bridge must have a mass of not less than 4 kg so that it falls clear reliably.
- The line-throwing appliance required by SOLAS Chapter III must carry at least four projectiles and four lines and be capable of throwing a line at least 230 metres in calm weather.
- SOLAS Chapter III Regulation 17-1 requires every ship to carry ship-specific plans and procedures for the recovery of persons from the water, and to include recovery in its drills.
2.5 Lifebuoys, Man-Overboard Equipment & Recovery of Persons from the Water
Core Principle: Section 1.3 covered what you wear. This section covers what the ship carries and throws. Table A-VI/1-1 requires knowledge of the types of life-saving appliances normally carried on ships and their location — and the most frequently used piece of life-saving equipment on any vessel is not a liferaft, it is a lifebuoy.
1. SOLAS Lifebuoys: Construction and Performance
Lifebuoy specifications come from LSA Code section 2.1. They are heavily examined because the numbers are precise and easy to test.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Outer diameter | Not more than 800 mm |
| Inner diameter | Not less than 400 mm |
| Mass | Not less than 2.5 kg |
| Mass (if fitted with a quick-release smoke signal) | Not less than 4 kg |
| Buoyancy | Support not less than 14.5 kg of iron in fresh water for 24 hours |
| Fire resistance | Withstand a drop into a fire and not burn or continue melting after 2 seconds enveloped in flame |
| Drop test | Withstand a drop from its stowage height above the lightest seagoing waterline, or 30 m, whichever is greater |
| Construction | Inherently buoyant — buoyancy must not depend on rushes, cork shavings, granulated cork, or any inflation requiring air |
| Markings | Ship's name and port of registry in block capitals; retro-reflective material |
| Grab line | Becket line of at least 9.5 mm diameter and at least four times the outer diameter in length, secured at four equidistant points |
Lifebuoy Attachments
- Self-igniting light: white, either steady or flashing (not less than 50 flashes/min), luminous intensity not less than 2 cd in all directions of the upper hemisphere, operating for at least 2 hours. It must not be extinguished by water.
- Self-activating smoke signal: emits dense orange smoke for at least 15 minutes when floating in calm water, does not ignite, does not swamp in a seaway, and continues to emit smoke when fully submerged for 10 seconds.
- Buoyant lifeline: non-kinking, diameter not less than 8 mm, breaking strength not less than 5 kN, and length not less than twice the height at which it is stowed above the waterline in the lightest seagoing condition, or 30 m, whichever is greater.
The pairing rule that gets tested: a lifebuoy is fitted with either a buoyant lifeline or a self-igniting light and smoke signal — never a lifeline together with a smoke signal. A line would prevent the quick-release buoy from drifting to the casualty and would drag the smoke float against the hull.
How Many, and Where
For cargo ships, SOLAS Chapter III sets the minimum number by length:
| Length of Ship | Minimum Number of Lifebuoys |
|---|---|
| Under 100 m | 8 |
| 100 m and under 150 m | 10 |
| 150 m and under 200 m | 12 |
| 200 m and over | 14 |
Distribution rules: buoys must be so distributed as to be readily available on both sides of the ship and, as far as practicable, on all open decks extending to the ship's side; at least one must be near the stern; at least half must be fitted with self-igniting lights; not less than two of those must also carry self-activating smoke signals and be capable of quick release from the navigation bridge; and at least one on each side must carry a buoyant lifeline.
2. The Line-Throwing Appliance
Required by SOLAS Chapter III and specified in LSA Code section 7.1, the line-throwing appliance is used to pass a line to a casualty, to a liferaft drifting past, or to a vessel in distress alongside.
- Capable of throwing a line with reasonable accuracy at a range of not less than 230 metres in calm weather.
- Carried with at least four projectiles and four lines.
- Rocket and line stowed in a water-resistant casing, with brief operating instructions clearly illustrated on the casing.
- The firing means is integral to the rocket, or contained in the assembly.
The appliance is a pyrotechnic device: never point it at people, never fire it downwind across your own deck, and treat expiry dates seriously — expired rockets go ashore for disposal, never over the side.
3. Rescue Boats
A rescue boat is distinct from a lifeboat. Its job is to recover persons from the water and to marshal survival craft, not to carry the whole crew away.
- Not less than 3.8 m and not more than 8.5 m in length.
- Capable of being launched while the ship is making headway of 5 knots in calm water (a painter may be used to achieve this).
- Sufficiently manoeuvrable and seaworthy to rescue persons from the water, marshal liferafts, and tow the largest liferaft carried.
- Capable of carrying at least five seated persons and one person lying down.
- Fitted with means to recover an unconscious person from the water.
- Stowed in a state of continuous readiness for launching in not more than 5 minutes.
On many ships a single boat is approved as a combined lifeboat and rescue boat.
4. Man-Overboard Recovery Manoeuvres
The bridge chooses the manoeuvre from how quickly the loss was noticed.
| Manoeuvre | Best Used When | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson turn (single turn) | Immediate-action MOB, casualty in sight, ship handy | Full rudder toward the casualty, continue through about 250°, then engines astern and stop close to the person. Fastest, but the ship approaches with the casualty out of sight for part of the turn. |
| Williamson turn | Delayed action, reduced visibility, night, or the casualty is lost from view | Full rudder toward the casualty, hold until about 60° off the original heading, then full rudder the other way until the ship is on the reciprocal course. Returns the vessel exactly along its own track back to the position. |
| Scharnow turn | The casualty went overboard some time ago and is well astern | Full rudder toward the casualty, hold until well past the original heading, then reverse rudder to steady on the reciprocal. Returns the ship to its wake without the initial advance of the Williamson. |
SOLAS III/17-1 — Recovery of Persons from the Water
Since 2014, every ship must have ship-specific plans and procedures for the recovery of persons from the water, and recovery must be exercised in drills. The plan identifies the equipment intended for recovery, the personnel assigned, and the method for the ship's particular freeboard and hull form. A high-freeboard bulk carrier cannot simply lean over the rail: it needs a rescue boat, a pilot ladder and net, a cargo net cradle, or a crane-launched basket.
Recover Horizontal
A casualty who has been immersed for more than a few minutes should be lifted horizontally, in a double strop, a rescue basket or a net. Removing the hydrostatic squeeze of the water from the legs while the casualty hangs vertically lets blood pool in the lower body — post-immersion collapse — and has killed conscious survivors at the moment of rescue.
What is the minimum length of the buoyant lifeline attached to a SOLAS lifebuoy?
Why is a lifebuoy never fitted with both a buoyant lifeline and a self-activating smoke signal?
A person is discovered missing during a night watch and was last seen more than an hour ago. Which recovery manoeuvre best returns the vessel along its own track?
What is the minimum range and the minimum number of projectiles required for a ship's line-throwing appliance under SOLAS Chapter III?