Rescue Boat Accidents

[Dosedmonkey]

Believe me Dosedmonkey those dummies they use weight about 10 stone when they fill up with water , hard work humping them about.

We have one too.

So is real people though.

[bobofinga]

I have a mate who works on the BP Vector Offshore support vessels (Caledonian Vanguard,Vision,Victory etc) and he says they are literally doing Dc/Frc/Mob drills all day when on station. BP do seem to take a very tough stance on drills with their Marine Crew.

They do have ridiculous launching procedures though! Some strange Amphibious Rescue Craft (ARC) that is kinda half free fall half davit launched apparently...

[laura]

Working on a large offshore construction vessel. We launch our FRC while underway- usually about 5knots, but not always as it depends on the conditions, the type/ period of swell, sea height/ wind and so on. We have exercises both alongside and at sea.

I would say that working for oil majors (as the charterer) is a double edged sword in regards to drills, with a full project and project crew onboard drills tend to be very squeezed by commercial pressure, at $300,000 day rate nobody wants us to stop work to carry out a drill. Plus with everyone on 12 hour watches, 6-18/18-6 or 12-24/00-12 it is very hard to fit drills into the day at times without waking up half the crew, but we do it anyway. We're expected to have a high safety record which includes drills but often pushed to be working on project with no time for any extras. The same goes for planned maintenance.

However this doesn't mean we don't have drills as we should, more like when we have the time on sailing we make up for it and have very full exercises but when we we're on project they're done but not as fully as we would like them to be, except muster drills which we're very strict on, especially as for many 'project crew' they have done an offshore survival course but never seen a ship in their lives- sometimes with hilarious results/ questions: 'liferaft? Shouldn't we just wait for the helicopter?' and so on.

I think it's quite ironic when on installations they stop everything usually for a sunday muster whereas we're expected to carry out drills as per the regs but not on 'their time'. We always manage to fit everything in, but it isn't easy at times.

I can imagine it's a bit easier on a deep sea vessel to find the time to drill regularly? It's so important to have everyone trained up for when something does happen, especially launching an FRC.

[bobofinga]

Believe me Dosedmonkey those dummies they use weight about 10 stone when they fill up with water , hard work humping them about.

[Dosedmonkey]

Yeah the Installations do throw dummies off , and the OIM tends to record the times and makes sure you meet standards.

Dont know about the grease though...

In the M Notice it actually says in Man overboard drills with your rescue boat, where possible you should use something representive or a dumby.

11 Rescue Boat and Emergency Boat Drills

11.1 As far as is reasonable and practicable rescue boats where carried, other than those which are also lifeboats, must be launched each month with their rescue boat crews and manoeuvered in the water. The interval between such drills must not exceed 3 months. Where climatic conditions permit, the crew of a rescue boat should wear their immersion suits during such in-water drills. Where possible such drills should include the recovery of an object simulating a person in the water. Emergency boats carried on passenger ships which do not carry rescue boats should be launched at similar intervals and should carry out similar drill procedures.


11.2 In ships of Class I the crews of rescue and emergency boats should be mustered on the first day of the voyage as soon as possible after sailing. The crews should be fully instructed and drilled in their duties and thereafter should be mustered and similarly drilled at intervals of not more than 7 days. Crews should be specifically instructed in the procedure of sending boats away promptly in an emergency and in recovering boats in a seaway, and should be familiar with the signal for mustering at the rescue or emergency boat station.

[Clanky]

The other thing worth noting is that there is NO requirement for boats other than those designated as fast rescue craft (which is not the same as a rescue boat MOB boat) to be launched with the vessel making way through the water.

[bobofinga]

I don't know if they still do it, but I heard that in the past dummies would get thrown off an offshore installation and the standby boat or some other vessel in the field would have to launch and try and recover them.

Heard one story of this happening at night and the people on the installation had coated the dummies in grease to make it more of a challenge having them dirty and slippery.

Don't think that this happens now a days though.

Yeah the Installations do throw dummies off , and the OIM tends to record the times and makes sure you meet standards.

Dont know about the grease though...

[Dosedmonkey]

As for rescue boat drills, you MUST launch your rescue boat once every month (not exceeding three month intervals), this basically means you can have a drill on 1st of January, but before 1st April, you must also have Febs and Maches drills too. This must include the rescue boats crew.
Logically all ships can do that, even ferries, at some point, its not very much down time. But generally these should be the most experienced seafarers on the vessel anyway, so shouldnt be a problem.
What isn't in the regs, but the MCA do want, is when ever they inspect a British flagged ship, or a ship visiting a British port, they can ask any member of deck or engine crew to show them how to launch the rescue boat safely. Initial training of new crew should always be done when the ship is stationary and under close supervision.

You can not say because of the shareholders, or the bosses you can not do it. If Senior officers are not willing to tell their company that they will be doing a drill as legally required on such and such date whilst the vessel is not underway for safety reasons, then they should not be at sea. If the company objects, all you need to do is ask them for that in writing, and tell them its for when someone gets killed the MCA and investigating police will know why there hadn't be sufficient drills.

On a side note...
The irony with the oil industry is, yes they have lots of drills, wow they have too much permits, that it is actually more dangerous because jobs are delayed so much, and people are fatigued and loose concentration before they even commit the jobs, and as such despite increased safety measures, they still have a hell of a lot of accidents offshore. I think it is unfair to say cruiseship industry is only just waking up as well, as I have seen many many demonstrations over the last twenty years of cruise ships fighting incredibly big fires and winning just with ships crew, which is incredible considering the fact they have so many additional things to organise and so many untrained passengers to rescue and protect, then offshore. Also I know companies like P&O, Cunard, princess, and more, send their officers and crew on many many additional safety courses as well as on deck and engine simulation courses much more then offshore now.

[pignutpilot]

Would anyone with experience of the offshore sector like to comment on rescue boat drills there? Presumably on standby boats and the other safety vessels there are frequent drills in a variety of conditions? Night launches etc?

I don't know if they still do it, but I heard that in the past dummies would get thrown off an offshore installation and the standby boat or some other vessel in the field would have to launch and try and recover them.

Heard one story of this happening at night and the people on the installation had coated the dummies in grease to make it more of a challenge having them dirty and slippery.

Don't think that this happens now a days though.

[bobofinga]

I joined a new build ERRV (standby) vessel and we had to do Classification Validation Trials.

For the Man overboard drills we had to recover 15 dummies in 45 minutes I think it was. So the industry standard is roughly 3 minutes per body. That is from when the buzzer sounds till the dummy is on board the FRC. We done it on the 3rd try.

The Dacon Scoop trial was also pretty similar figures.

[Midge]

Clanky lets hope they don't then.

[Clanky]

It's not just about wealthy sections of the industry, it has a lot to do with the profile of certain parts of the industry.

The oil majors who charter tankers and offshore vessels are very much aware of the fact that there is the potential for major accidents involving multiple deaths such as piper alpha or major pollution incidents such as deepwater horizon / Braer / Exxon Valdez / others ad nauseum, which not only cost them huge amounts of money, but hit their public image very badly.

The passenger shipping sector has been slowly waking up to the fact for years that they cannot afford a major disaster, sadly the fact that no-one from Costa Crucieres senior management went to jail and the fact that the cruise market didn't suffer a major slump post Concordia may well mean that many chief execs start wondering how much they can save on their safety / training budgets.

[Midge]

It totally depends on the contract. I have been on standby vessels on contract to BP who have to do at least 1 MOB per day , launching in force 6/7.

They have a flow chart on the bridge with the specific sea height/wind speed and if launching is Safe/Hazardous etc.

But , launching whilst underway is pretty much routine on the standby vessels I have been on yes.

Night Launches tend to be a 'If situation allows' sort of thing... but more often than not you would only launch at night in an emergency.

So wealthy sections of the industry spend the money then. So those doing their training in those sectors, are the people with the best skills, or the most practiced ones at least, aside from the military. Though its a more dangerous sector to work in due to location and what they do I presume.
I have learnt lots today!

[bobofinga]

Would anyone with experience of the offshore sector like to comment on rescue boat drills there? Presumably on standby boats and the other safety vessels there are frequent drills in a variety of conditions? Night launches etc?

It totally depends on the contract. I have been on standby vessels on contract to BP who have to do at least 1 MOB per day , launching in force 6/7.

They have a flow chart on the bridge with the specific sea height/wind speed and if launching is Safe/Hazardous etc.

But , launching whilst underway is pretty much routine on the standby vessels I have been on yes.

Night Launches tend to be a 'If situation allows' sort of thing... but more often than not you would only launch at night in an emergency.

[Midge]

Thank you Steve and Clanky, sorts things out for me. So charterers are bad guys too, I forgot about them. Seems to me a bit too much pressure is applied.
ref cost to passengers, good advertising can counter a lot of that though, it would be pence not pounds overall surely? Most people would not notice that but I see the point.
There are videos on youtube that passengers have taken of coastguards practicing drills, and actual rescues they seem to get very excited by it, seem to value it, lots of people go to RNLI open days just to see it being done.
I doubt they mind being held up a few minutes for it. The QM2 dropping off a sat phone and stuff to the rower in the Atlantic the other day was used well, no doubt it cost them a bit of fuel and time, but it was sold to the passengers as how lucky they were to have the opportunity! Gave the crew a chance to test the system winners all around.

How about insurers give a larger reduction on premiums for safer ships /companies which have better safety training/ safety record pushing charterers shipping companies to improve. Insurance is pretty global if their payouts for losses were less because of fewer accidents. Could be done if there were minimum global statutory payouts for accidents of all types. Insurance comps would want to minimise that risk and encourage a safer industry. As you point out the higher profile an industry is the more inclined they are to try and perform better, shows the power of the press/advertising too.

Governments global bodies responsible need to raise the statutory requirements to ensure that adequate training is done. After all anyone injured and unable to work would need care maybe lifelong there is a huge cost to that. The same goes for the environmental damage, the public live with the consequences and the cost.

Maybe when cadets are doing their dissertations for Hons degrees they can have a go at some of this?
Unions are only as strong as their members though. Members are the union, join a union and force the issue more, highlight it, advertise it, press the agencies responsible for statutory requirements. Get all unions together to speak as one?
I see the hierarchical nature of shipping doesn't help. So the top need to lead and encourage those below to question and ask and must value those that do so.
Though in order to do that, they need the co-operation of their companies to listen and support them in making adequate provision, time, and the resources for it to be carried out as and when then, and to also value and understand that the master is the one who knows best how to do it.
Lastly improve training for cadets so that it works it way back up again.
Wouldn't it be great if things changed ! Anyway must go, lots to do its been interesting thank you.