Amendments to the Testing Standards for Life-Saving Appliances issued by IMO

Eda Zenic -

The International Maritime Organization has issued resolution MSC.563(108) outlining the amendments to the Revised Recommendation on Testing of Life-Saving Appliances (resolution MSC.81(70)).

The amendments aim to ensure that the testing criteria for these appliances remain up to date with modern safety standards and technological advancements.

Key Amendments:

1. Water Performance Tests for Lifejackets (Part 1 - Prototype Test)

This section deals with testing lifejackets to ensure they perform effectively in water, specifically focusing on their ability to turn a person face-up in the water and keep them safe. Key updates include:

  • Substitute Test Subjects (New paragraph 2.8.2.1):
    • When conducting righting tests (which measure how quickly and effectively a lifejacket turns a person face-up in the water), if a test subject wearing the Reference Test Device (RTD) does not turn, they can be replaced with a different test subject from the same height and weight category. This ensures that inconsistent results from an individual test subject do not affect the overall test outcome.
  • Updated Performance Criteria (Paragraph 2.8.7.1):
    • Several important performance metrics for lifejackets have been clarified or updated, including:
      • Turning Time: The average time for a lifejacket to turn a person face-up should not exceed the RTD's average time by more than 1 second.
      • Freeboard: The distance from the water to the person's nose and mouth (freeboard) must not be less than 10 mm below the RTD's performance.
      • Torso Angles: The angle of the torso when floating in water must not be less than 10° below the RTD's performance.
      • Faceplane (Head) Angles: The head angle when floating should not be less than 10° below the RTD's performance.
      • Lifejacket Light Visibility: The lifejacket light must be positioned to ensure maximum visibility in as wide a range as possible above the water.

2. Production and Installation Tests for Launching Appliances (Part 2)

This section addresses the testing of survival craft (such as lifeboats) and rescue boats to ensure they can be safely launched from a ship during emergencies, including how they are lowered into the water using winches and davits (mechanical devices used to launch and recover boats).

  • Loaded Test (Paragraph 6.1.2):
    • When testing a survival craft or rescue boat, it should be loaded with equipment and a distributed mass equivalent to the number of people it is designed to accommodate, each person weighing either 75 kg or 82.5 kg (depending on the standard used).
    • The craft should be released and lowered at a speed determined by the formula: S=0.4+0.02HS = 0.4 + 0.02HS=0.4+0.02H where S is the speed of lowering in meters per second, and H is the height from the davit head (launching position) to the waterline. The speed must not exceed 1.3 m/s.
    • This ensures the boat can be safely lowered from the ship in an emergency at an appropriate and controlled speed.
  • Brake Test (Paragraph 6.1.5):
    • During this test, the boat is loaded in the same way as the previous test, but with an additional 10% of the working load to simulate real-world conditions where the boat might be slightly overloaded.
    • The boat is lowered to its maximum speed, and the brakes are abruptly applied to check if the davits and winches can handle the stress. This tests the reliability of the attachments between the launching system and the ship's structure.
    • The maximum lowering speed should also be 1.3 m/s or a speed approved by the governing authority (Administration), ensuring the boat can be stopped safely without causing damage.