Safety Alert - Technical No. 6

LIFEBOATS

The Hong Kong Marine Department has brought to our attention that lifeboats manufactured by Sea Industrial Co of Taiwan have been found to have a design fault in the structure and holding arrangements.

Fixing plates which attach the suspension gear to the lifeboat are detaching through corrosion.

Owners of vessels equipped with lifeboats from this manufacturer should:

• SEEK technical assistance to look into the structure and holding arrangements.
• MAINTENANCE thorough examination of the release gear should be carried out by specially trained people and certified personnel.   
• TRAINING the training of the operating crew should be assessed as the release gear has been found to be of mechanical complexity and the instructions provided lack clearance.

For further information please contact:
Shipping Safety Branch,
Maritime & Coastguard Agency
Tel: +44 (023) 8032 9120
Issued: Jan 2006