by GuestfromEU » July 9, 2022, 11:51 am
Yes and no. There were many issues with the El Faro that led to her unfortunate circumstances, though a freefall lifeboat would have certainly been better than the open type, davit launched boats as fitted.
On a side note, many companies still choose to use (covered) davit launched lifeboats in new construction. They are SOLAS-compliant and far safer for operation and maintenance, with less risk of injury during launching. Lifeboat testing and maintenance has been in the top five reasons for injuries on ships for many years, with freefall boats being the highest percentage of these incidents.
Is the Mark Barker built for coastal trading? Lifeboats are not required for trading only on the lakes. This is why many companies removed them some years ago and replaced them with rescue boats and extra rafts. I think even some of the new ships from China had them removed once they arrived on the lakes.
Yes and no. There were many issues with the El Faro that led to her unfortunate circumstances, though a freefall lifeboat would have certainly been better than the open type, davit launched boats as fitted.
On a side note, many companies still choose to use (covered) davit launched lifeboats in new construction. They are SOLAS-compliant and far safer for operation and maintenance, with less risk of injury during launching. Lifeboat testing and maintenance has been in the top five reasons for injuries on ships for many years, with freefall boats being the highest percentage of these incidents.
Is the Mark Barker built for coastal trading? Lifeboats are not required for trading only on the lakes. This is why many companies removed them some years ago and replaced them with rescue boats and extra rafts. I think even some of the new ships from China had them removed once they arrived on the lakes.