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 INDEX

i. Survive at sea in the event of ship abandonment

1. Don and use of an immersion suit
2. Safely jump from a height into the water
3. Right an inverted life raft while wearing lifejacket
4. Swim while wearing a lifejacket
5. Keep afloat without a lifejacket

ii. Take charge of survival craft or rescue boat during and after launch:
1. Operated off-load and on-load release devices
2. Proper resetting of both off-load and on-load release devices

iii. Operate survival craft engine:

1. Ability to start and operate an inboard engine fitted in an open or enclosed lifeboat

iv. Use locating devices, including communication and signalling apparatus and
pyrotechnics: Use signalling equipment, including pyrotechnics
1. SURVIVAL AT SEA IN THE EVENT OF SHIP ABANDONMENT:

A.DON AND USE OF IMMERSION SUIT

Your immersion suit can save you only if you can find it and put it on quickly in an emergency.
For example, you may need to put on your suit in darkness and rough seas, with the vessel
listing or pitching heavily. It is important to practice until you can get your suit from storage and
then put it on within one minute. Make sure you participate in emergency drills. The master of
the vessel must conduct emergency drills that include putting on your immersion suit at least
annually at the start of the fishing season before leaving the dock, when there is a crew change
and at intervals to ensure that crew members are familiar with emergency procedures. If you still
can’t get into your immersion suit within a minute, practice on your own. Your survival may
depend on it.

How to put on your immersion suit

Instructions may vary for different types of suits, so follow the manufacturer’s instructions. The
following are basic instructions for putting on your face seal immersion suit.

STEP 1:

Roll suit out on deck and sit on it.

Insert your legs into the suit.
Leave on boots and other clothing for insulation and protection in the water.

Tip: Keep two plastic bags with your immersion suit.

Pull the bags over your boots to make the suit easier to put on.

STEP 2:

Put your non-dominant arm into the suit first

Pull the hood over your head with your free hand.
STEP 3:

Put your dominant arm into the other sleeve.

Pull the zipper up with care and secure the flap over your face.

Check that all straps and hoses are secure.

USE OF IMMERSION SUIT

An immersion suit is a special type of waterproof dry suit that protects a person
from hypothermia when immersed in cold waters, usually after abandoning a sinking or capsized
vessel. The way actually an immersion suit works, is to maintain the body heat within the suit
and keeping the user dry from the cold water. An immersion suit is designed to have a bright
color in order to be highly visible from a long distance and to provide comfortable movement to
the user in order to abandon safely the vessel. This type of immersion suits are worn in
emergencies and every crew member needs to own one in the appropriate size. Furthermore,
emergency drills need to occur often within the vessel in order the crew members to be agile and
get in their immersion suits quickly.

B.PROCEDURE TO SAFELY JUMP INTO WATER:

Hold down the neck of your jacket with one hand. (This will prevent the lifejacket from
riding up and jarring your neck when you hit the water.)
Hold your nose with the other.
Check that your jacket is securely fastened before you jump.
Check that the water is clear of debris or other persons.
Look straight ahead and step out. If you look down, you will fall face first. If you look up,
you will tilt backwards. Try and enter the water with your legs slightly open in a
“stepping” position to reduce you “spearing” down too far into the water.
Points to bear in mind before jumping overboard

 Have your life jacket securely tied on and hold it down by crossing the arms over the
chest; blocking off the nose and mouth with one hand.
 Keep your feet together, check that it is all clear below; look straight ahead; jump feet
first.
 Do not look down when jumping as it makes you unstable and likely to fall forward.

 Wearing a lifejacket and possibly an immersion suit or thermal protective aid and
certainly wearing heavy clothing.
 It may be easier when swimming to a survival craft, to swim on your back. Do not swim or
tread water unnecessarily; it wastes valuable body heat and energy.

 Stay out of the water as long as possible! Try to minimize the shock of sudden cold
immersion.
 A sudden plunge into cold water can cause rapid death, or an uncontrollable rise in
breathing rate may result in an intake of water into the lungs.

 If jumping into the water is unavoidable, you should try to keep your elbows to your side
and cover your nose and mouth with one hand while holding the wrist or elbow firmly
with the other hand. Avoid jumping onto the liferaft canopy or jumping into the water
astern of a liferaft, in case the ship has some remaining headway.

 Jumping into the raft will likely break either one or both of your legs, or break the legs or
other vital body parts of those already in the raft. If you have to jump, aim for the water -
better to be wet and freezing than unable to swim or walk.

C. RIGHT AN INVERTED LIFERAFT WHILE WEARING LIFEJACKET

RIGHTING A LIFERAFT

Occasionally a life-raft may inflate upside down and a crew member will have to right the liferaft
before anyone can board it.

To right a life-raft

a. Swim to the gas bottle side of the raft (this will be the lowest side because of the weight of the
bottle). Turn the raft so that the bottle is down wind - the wind will assist righting the craft.

b. Position your feet wide apart on either side of the gas bottle and grasp the nearest rung if the
righting straps that are fixed across the bottom of the raft.

c. Swim to the gas bottle side of the raft (this will be the lowest side because of the weight of the
bottle). Turn the raft so that the bottle is down wind – the wind will assist righting the raft.

d. Position your feet wide apart on either side of the gas bottle and grasp the nearest rung if the
righting straps that are fixed across the bottom of the raft

e. “Walk” your hands up the righting strap rungs, pulling the raft over towards you
f. Should the raft come over on top of you and you get tangled up, remain calm. The floor of the
raft is quite soft and can be pushed up to form an air pocket while you untangle yourself. It is
important to remain on your back though, if you turn over while trying to escape, the raft will
tend to push you face down in the water. Other crew members in the water or on deck should
watch closely and be ready to come to the aid of the person should they not be able to get free.
For larger rafts (more than 12 man capacity) it is probable that

D. HOW TO SWIM WITH A LIFE JACKET

Swimming with a life jacket is ideal for those learning how to swim or individuals swimming
in lakes, oceans and rivers, since swimming in these areas can be more dangerous than
swimming in a pool. A life jacket can protect you from waves and rapid currents as well as keep
you safe if you become fatigued. Due to the bulkiness of a life jacket, you will need to ensure a
proper fit of the life jacket before attempting to swim. While swimming with a life jacket you can
opt to use your arms, legs or both.

Step: 1

Test your life jacket for an appropriate fit. An ill-fitting life jacket will not be effective in
keeping you safe in the water. Place your life jacket on. Secure all zippers, snaps, ties and straps
to make the life jacket fit you snugly. Position yourself in water up to your neck. Lift your legs up
and tilt your head back toward the water. Your mouth should not be in the water and you
should be floating without having to make an effort. If the life jacket rides up on you, you need to
tighten the straps and snaps.
Step 2

Kick your legs. Fully extend your legs while keeping them underneath the water. Kick them up
and down. Kick slowly to move yourself through the water at a slow and steady pace. To move
quickly through the water, kick at a more rapid pace. The act of kicking should be enough to
propel you through the water without the use of your arms.

Step 3

Use your arms. Should your legs become tired or if you need an extra boost to get through the
water, incorporate the use of your arms while swimming with a life jacket. Extend your arms out
in front of your in the water. Slowly fan your arms out to your sides making a large half-circle
motion.

E. AIDS FOR STAYING AFLOAT WITHOUT A LIFEJACKET

If you are in the water without a life jacket don’t become frightened that you cannot stay afloat
you can. Several articles of clothing, including the white hat, provide some flotation when used
properly. The most useful article is your trousers or slacks, which you can inflate to serve as
water wings.

 To remove your trousers, lean forward in the water and slowly slip them down over your hips
and legs. Don’t let go of them, they may sink. To inflate your trousers

 2. Zip them; then float them on the surface with the fly or front turned down.

 3. Tie a knot in each leg as close to the cuff as possible.

 Work the garment around on the surface until the legs are over your shoulders and the knots
are behind you, leaving the crotch in front of you.

 Grasp the waist of the trousers with one hand one each side; then extend your arms straight
upward, kicking your feet to get your body as high out of the water as you can.

 When this position is reached, pull the trousers downward smartly on the surface, trapping a
pocket of air in each leg.

 Then gather the waist under the water and hold in one hand.

 Keep the trousers legs wet by splashing water on them to reduce the loss of the trapped air.

 You may use mattress covers, sea bags, laundry bags, and pillowcases in a similar manner.

 A large amount of debris, such as pieces of wood, empty shell boxes, powder cans, and so
forth, is usually present. You can use this debris to stay afloat.
2. TAKE CHARGE OF SURVIVAL CRAFT OR RESCUE BOAT DURING AND AFTER LAUNCH:
TYPES OF LIFEBOAT RELEASE MECHANISM

There are different types of lifeboats used on board a ship on the basis of the type of ship and
other special requirements. Not all the lifeboats have the same type of releasing mechanisms, for
the launching of a lifeboat depends on several other factors. In this article we will take a look at
the main types of lifeboat releasing mechanisms and also learn about the SOLAS requirements
for lifeboats. There are two types of lifeboat releasing mechanisms- on load and off load. These
mechanisms release the boat from the davit, which is attached to a wire or fall by means of a
hook. By releasing the hook the lifeboat can be set free to propel away from the ship.

OFF LOAD MECHANISM

The off load mechanism releases the boat after the load of the boat is transferred to water or the
boat has been lowered fully into the sea. When the boat touches the surface of water, the load on
the fall and hence the hook releases and due to its mechanism the hook detaches from the fall. If
the detachment dose not takes place, any of the crew members can remove the hook from the
fall. Most of the times the offload mechanism is manually disengaged in case of malfunction;
however, in case of fire, it is dangerous to go out and release the hook.

Off-load release hooks are most often found in open boats constructed before 1 July 1986. The
pin about which the hook pivots is directly in line with and beneath the position at which the
link contacts the hook. The weight of the boat, with forces acting in the direction of the orange
arrows, prevents an opening force on the hook (left below). The hook can only be opened when
relieved of the load when the boat becomes waterborne (right below). Off-load hooks usually have
a remote operating connection between the hook and the helmsman but can also be operated
locally at the bow or stern of the boat. Off-load release. The hook can only be opened if the load
is relaxed, as would occur when the boat becomes waterborne. Source: D. Barber FPDs are not
required with off-load release hooks.
On load mechanism:

On load mechanism can release the lifeboat from the wire, with the ship above the water level
and with all the crew members inside the boat. The load will be still on the fall as the boat would
not have touched the water. Normally the height of about 1 m is kept for the on load release, so
that the fall is smooth without damaging the boat and harming the crew inside. A lever is
provided inside the boat to operate this mechanism. As the lever is operated from inside, it is
safe to free the boat without going of the out lifeboat, when there is a fire on ship.

Many designs of on-load release systems exist. If they are not fitted with a built-in SSD, then a
sling or strop FPD should be used on each hook. One very common type of hook uses a rotating
cam. Its operation is described below.

The Image shows the hook engaged. The right image shows the hook released. The cam has
been rotated to the horizontal position and the tail of the hook is free. Because the line of
upward force exerted by the fall is offset to the right of the pivot point, this causes the hook to
rotate and release the link to the fall. The rotating cam system shown here is one among many
systems used. The on board release system should always be studied closely so that you fully
understand how the hook is released.
3. OPERATION OF SURVIVAL CRAFT ENGINE:

Basic checks that can be carried out locally on ship’s lifeboat engine

A few basic checks during routine inspections can be carried out at site to pinpoint the defect
and react quickly if something goes wrong.

1. Listen to the sound the lifeboat engine makes when it is tried out – Check to see if it
is the familiar running noise or it has an abnormal one. A simple method to home in to noises is
by using equipment that is readily available such as a long handle screwdriver. By putting one
end of the screwdriver to the ear and the other where an abnormality is suspected, the error
detection is possible. Sometimes the machinery has to be operated while listening to the sound;
one must take adequate precautions for the same.

2. Visual checks – Check for rusting areas, oil leaks and kinks in the fuel lines, cracks or
bends in the lines associated with the ship’s lifeboat engine, chaffed hoses, paint discoloration in
heat areas, distorted electrical cables or damaged junctions for cable and housing, etc. for an
overall view of the deformities. Using the eyes for a better understanding of the troubles can
prevent a potential hazard waiting to happen.

3. Identify the problem by smelling it – Don’t underestimate your sense of smell as it can
lead you to the source of the problems on board ships. Fuel is distinguishable by its smell, so
check for leaks that could be dangerous and require immediate attention. Overcharging of the
batteries give us a foul smell like an egg gone bad. The smell of burnt electrical wiring and
components is quite unique too and could be made out easily. Again, tracing out the problem is
of utmost importance.

4. Sense of touch – One can ascertain a few problems related to electrical and ship’s lifeboat
engine components by simply touching them. Loosely mounted starters and regulators, heated
wires and cables, damaged fuel lines and oil leaks, etc. to name a few could all be corrected.

Using the senses to dish out problems is an art which has to be practiced at every routine
inspection of the ship’s lifeboat engine. To be a good trouble-shooter one needs more than just
technical knowledge.

Starting precaution

Starting any engine can be dangerous in the hands of in experienced people. Before attempting
to start engine, the operator should be fully conversant with starting procedure and controls.
Ensure that the batteries are in serviceable condition and correctly connected.

 Check that the oil levels in the engine and the gearbox are correct.
 Check that the all water drain plugs and cocks are closed. Check that water inlet valves, if
fitted, are opened.
 Check that water level in expansion tank is filled up with mixture of water/antifreeze
(40%).

Check before starting

 Oil level in oil sump tank and gearbox

 Coolant level in the expansion tanker
 Battery main switch is on. Oil pressure light and changing light will now
 Be on and the buzzer will sound.

Manually start a motor lifeboat engine

 Check that the gear lever is in neutral position.

 Prime the fuel system if necessary.
 Check that the engine is free to turn without obstruction.
 Turn throttle control lever to almost vertical or “fast”.
 Move the de-compression lever towards the fly-wheel. Fit starting handle.
 Turn engine slowly from 3 to 20 turns to prime combustion chamber and lubricating
system.
 Crank the engine really fast. When speed is obtained, return the de-compression lever to
the firing position.
 Continue to crank until the engine fires.
 Remove starting handle and reduce engine speed as required.
 To stop the engine: turn throttle control anti-clockwise and hold it until the engine stop.
Or, if fitted, pull the remote stopping control.
 After starting: check the oil pressure gauge and with a water-cooled engine the overboard
discharging of cooling water.

Automatic starting

 Move the speed/gear box lever into neutral position by means of the control lever.
 Turn the switch to energize the starting motor.
 Release immediately, if the engine start and it will return to position “O”. The alarm light
as well as the buzzer should now be off.
 If the engine fails to start, due to poor battery condition, turn the battery switch to the
second start battery and repeat the starting procedure.
  If the engine fails to start in 15 seconds, despite good battery condition, release the switch
and investigate the cause. The starting motor should be allowed to cool for at least 15
seconds before attempting to restart.
 At low temperature it may be necessary to ease the starting by means of the start gas.

The operational method is shown as follows:

 Open the dust cover of the liquid storage.

 Insert the pouring liquid pressure can into the hole of the liquid storage.
 Squeeze the can to pour the liquid into liquid storage.
 Set the gear box at idle position and put the handle of fuel rack at mid- position.
 Start the engine. At the same time, operate the hand-pump until the engine runs stably.
 If knocking appears while the engine is starting; the operation of hand pump must be
slowed or stopped, so as to regulate the injecting liquid quantity for starting the engine
stably.

4. USE LOCATING DEVICES, INCLUDING COMMUNICATION AND SIGNALING APPARATUS

AND PYROTECHNICS:

SIGNALLING EQUIPMENT FLARES (PYROTECHNICS)

Three types of flares are found in the survival equipment bag in liferaft:

 Orange smoke hand held flare

 Red hand-held flare
 Red star parachute rocket.

ORANGE SMOKE FLARE

Hand-held orange smoke flares give off a high density orange smoke for one minute. The smoke
can be seen 2-3 miles away. The orange smoke flare is very easy to see so there is a good chance
that it will be spotted by aircraft from above. The orange smoke flare is most effective on days
where there is little wind. A strong wind will disperse the smoke too quickly for it to be seen at
the greatest distance possible. Uses the flare during daylight hours only, because the orange
smoke cannot be seen at night

RED HAND-HELD FLARE

A red hand-held flare displays a bright red burning light for about one minute and can be seen 5
- 6 miles away. A red hand-held fl are can be used in both day and night conditions; however it
will be seen from greater distances at night.
RED STAR PARACHUTE ROCKET

A red star parachute rocket shoots a bright red burning light several hundred meters into the
air. The burning light then slowly descends to Earth via the parachute. The red star parachute
rocket can be seen up to 20 miles away in good night conditions. Thus, red star parachute
rockets are the best flares to use for raising the alarm and drawing attention to you over a large
area. The following notes and diagrams show operating instructions for some common types of
flares. Be aware that there are numerous types on the market and they may vary in the
activation to what is shown here. You need to be familiar with the types of flares on your vessel,
where they are stowed and how they are activated.

TO ACTIVATE THE ORANGE HAND-HELD FLARE

Remove orange caps.

Remove white striker cap.

Strike across ignition surface with coated striker tip.

Hold upright and downwind

TO ACTIVATE THE RED STAR ROCKET PARACHUTE

Remove top and bottom end caps.

Pull out safety pin.

Push the firing lever up against the outside casing.

The parachute rocket will fire approximately 300m high and then slowly descend to earth.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

 Activate hand held flares downwind from yourself and hold them as high as possible. This
increases the range they may be seen. Make sure you hold flares on the base of the cylinder
as the top is literally burning hot.
 Only use flares when there is a possibility that an aircraft or vessel will see you. If the aircraft
or vessel alters course towards you, fire another fl are to confirm your position.
 Fire a parachute flare to attract attention, then a hand flare to show your position. If the
aircraft or vessel alters course towards you, fire another fl are to confirm your position
 Never let off flares except in an emergency. There are large fines for their misuse.
 If the flare fails to light when activated wait 10 seconds in the firing position. If the fl are still
fails to light throw it in the sea, as it may be dangerous to restow.
 Leave flares in their plastic wrapper until you are ready to use them.
 When boarding survival craft, remember to take the ships flares to supplement the ones
carried in the survival craft.
Smoke signals are of two types:

Buoyant orange smoke signals

Hand-held orange smoke signals.

Smoke signals are used to pinpoint the survivors’ position.

- The smoke signal’s use to raise an alarm is doubtful. They will be more readily seen from
an aircraft than a surface craft. They are for daytime use only.
- Their range is at the most about two to three nautical miles in good visibility.
- The buoyant float smokes for at least 3 minutes. Visible distance≥2miles
- Hand held smoke signal give smoke for about 1 minute.
- They should be used on the lee side of the survival craft.
- Remember, they are good for signalling when winds are light. In strong winds, however,
the smoke may disperse quickly.

TORCH

The torch can be used to look for survivors in the water at night, for Morse signaling, and to
provide light.

HELIOGRAPH (daylight signaling mirror)

A heliograph is a mirror which is used to reflect the suns beam on passing aircraft or a
vessel and in doing so attract attention. In good conditions, the reflection from the sun can be
seen for up to 20 miles from a heliograph mirror.

A small waterproof mirror, on a sunny day you can flash the sun's rays at a passing ship or
helicopter. Keep it up for long enough, and somebody may realize that the flashing is not a
window randomly catching the sun.

The mirror should be at least 10 cm square and of good optical quality. If you can't see your face
in it, bright, clear and in perfect detail, it will do a poor job of reflecting sunlight. That describes
most stainless steel mirrors.

Glass mirrors are much better although prone to break if dropped. Plastic mirrors are lightest
but need to be kept in a soft pouch so the surface does not get scratched. For aiming, a signal
mirror may have a small hole in the middle and a thin sighting rod, or a built-in optical aiming
system.
DYE MARKER

In a life-raft a dye marker is provided. When you see an aircraft, empty the contents into the
water and it will leave a yellow/green trail.

VHF RADIOS

Under the GMDSS system, ships are required to carry water proof, hand-held VHF radios,
with spare batteries, for use in survival craft. These are usually kept on the bridge or
wheelhouse and must be taken to the survival craft when the abandon ship order is given.

Buoyant smoke signals: This pyrotechnic equipment is held in compact container with a
buoyant nature so that it can float on the water surface to signal distress situation.

Line Throwing Appliances: A line throwing appliance is not a distress signaling equipment
but is counter acting equipment in distress situations. It is used so that a connection in made in
terms of a strong line between the distressed ship and the safe ship to pass on towing lines or
other kind of help.

EPIRBS (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon)

An EPIRB is a device which when activated transmits a distress signal for a minimum of 48
hours.

EPIRBS: All EPIRBs rely on satellite relay of distress messages, but there are distinct types.
Standard 406 MHz EPIRBs such as the Satellite2 send a coded signal with a Unique Identifier
Number (UIN).

Newer GPS-enabled 406 MHz EPIRBs such as the Global Fix iPro also transmit position
information along with the identifier. Time is saved by not having to wait for successive passes of
the satellite to determine a position fix on the beacon. All 406 MHz EPIRBs are either Category I,
meaning they will deploy automatically if the vessel sinks or Category II, meaning they need to
be manually deployed.

If your EPIRB is floated, tie it to the survival craft, so it will not drift away Automatic activation
EPIRB MP-406 is automatically activated during free emersion from depth of 4 meters after
release from automatic release device.

EPIRB is automatically activated after it emerged to water by water sensor. EPIRB can be thrown
from deck to water surface after its manual release from bracket or automatic release device.
(not high then 20 meters).
Manual activation

To activate the EPIRB manually installed in bracket:

1. Upholding the EPIRB by case, pull out the pin and release the EPIRB from bracket.
2. Turn the switcher to “ON” position.
After EPIRB activation one long flash of light-emitted beacon and alternately flashing of
“402/121” flashes by red color and then by green color show that EPIRB operates normally.

After manual activation EPIRB can be installed in lifeboat. Avoid any conducting things in radius
of 1.5 meters or things shaded the antenna in tilt angles from 7 to 70 degrees.

After manual activation EPIRB can be also emerged to water. But note that you should fix it to
lifeboat with help of 7m floating line.

SARTS : SART installations include one or more search and rescue locating devices. These
devices may be either a radar-SART (Search and Rescue Transponder), or (from 1.January 2010)
an AIS-SART (AIS Search and Rescue Transmitter). The radar-SART is used to locate a survival
craft or distressed vessel by creating a series of dots on a rescuing ship's radar display. A SART
will only respond to a 9 GHz X-band (3 cm wavelength) radar. It will not be seen on S- band (10
cm) or other radar.

The radar-SART may be triggered by any X-band radar within a range of approximately 8
nautical miles (15 kilometres). Each radar pulse received causes it to transmit a response which
is swept repetitively across the complete radar frequency band. When interrogated, it first
sweeps rapidly (0.4 microsecond) through the band before beginning a relatively slow sweep (7.5
microseconds) through the band back to the starting frequency. This process is repeated for a
total of twelve complete cycles.

In some cases, lifeboats have passive radar reflectors, made up of light metal at sharp angles,
intended to reflect energy efficiently. They are less than ideal, as they can be bulky and not at all
useful for rafts or personal floatation gear. SART, however, are much more efficient as radar
beacons. They conserve battery life by only operating a receiver, unless they detect an X-band
pulse. When they detect such as signal, they transmit an X-band signal in response, which will
appear as a bright radar target.

Further, the signal they send is not a single dot, but a pattern that will direct rescuers. A SART
sends a sequence of twelve pulses, timed, at first detection, so they will display with the actual
SART at the position of the first dot, and the remainder radiating toward the edge of the screen.
As the rescuers approach, the dots will become short arcs. The closer the search radar gets to
the SART, the larger the arcs, until, when the SART is very near.

SARTs, like any marine rescue signalling device, work best when they are elevated above sea
level, distancing them from "clutter" caused by waves. If at all possible, the SART should be
mounted about 2 meters above the floor of a life-raft
Radar reflector:

A radar reflector is a device which is attached to a boat to make it more visible on radar. Radar
reflectors consist of several pieces of metal which intersect with each other to create a geometric
shape which will strongly reflect radar. There are a number of different styles and designs
available, and several boating safety organizations have tested a range of radar reflectors to see
which models and designs seem to work best, obtaining varying results which seem to indicate
that even with a radar reflector, a boat can sometimes be hard to spot on radar.

A radar reflector reduces navigational hazards by providing a surface for radar to bounce from,
generating a return which can clearly be read on radar screens. This will allow larger ships to
clearly see small boats in front of them, which can help captains reduce the risk of collision.
Using a radar reflector also makes a craft like a lifeboat more visible on radar, allowing it to be
found more quickly.

SENDING DISTRESS COMMUNICATIONS

The following are a set of observations intended to help the user maximize his success
during the course of a rescue where two-way communication is possible.
Transmit only when the channel is clear of activity, or between other stations'
transmissions during a distress.
Use the world recognized expression MAYDAY to call for help.

Antenna height and range of communications are intimately related. In general, a higher
antenna will have a longer range than a similar lower antenna.

The typical range for a transmitting radio held at about 1.2 meters (4.0 ft) above average water
level is expected to equal 4.5 kilometers (2.8 statute miles). The receiving ship borne antenna
can extend the range if it is mounted high. Airborne receivers greatly extend the above range
(over 150 kilometres/100 miles for aircraft flying over 1500 meters/5000 ft).

Because of the above fact, and to maximize the range of the survival craft VHF radiotelephone,
the unit should be held as high as possible without endangering the safety of the operator.

CHANNEL 16 OPERATIONS

- Remove control panel protective cover.

- Strap the unit around operator's wrist, hand or glove.
- Press ON/OFF button for one (1) second to turn ON the Survival Radio.
- CHAN 16 button stays lit (red).
- Listen for the tone and for the squelch action 3 seconds after activating the unit.
- Press blinking PUSH TO TALK button to transmit.
- Speak loudly and clearly into speaker area from a distance of approximately 3"to 6" (7.5
cm to 15 cm).
- Both Volume indicators stay lit during transmission.
- Release PUSH TO TALK button to listen.
- Adjust Volume by pressing the respective buttons (Note: there are 4 preset volume
settings from which to choose).
- Keep transmissions to a minimum to conserve battery power.
- Periodically verify that the CHAN 16 button is lit (red) to guard against accidental
 selection of channel 6.
- Press ON/OFF button to turn unit off.

CHANNEL 6 OPERATIONS

Remove control panel protective cover.

Strap the unit around operator's wrist, hand or glove.
Press ON/OFF button for one (1) second to turn on the Survival Radio.
CHAN 16 button stays lit (red)
Listen for the tone and for the squelch action 3 seconds after activating the unit.
Press CHAN 6 button to select channel 6.
CHAN 6 button stays lit (green).
Adjust Volume by pressing the respective buttons (Note: there are 4 preset volume
settings from which to choose).
Press blinking PUSH TO TALK button to transmit.
Speak loudly and clearly into speaker area from a distance of approximately 3"— 6" (7.5
cm to 15 cm).
Both Volume indicators stay lit during transmission.
Release PUSH TO TALK button to listen.
Keep transmissions to a minimum to conserve battery power.
Press ON/OFF button to turn unit off.

Requirements Regarding Pyrotechnics Put Forth by SOLAS

Having pyrotechnic equipments on board ship is not enough. They should be in proper ship-
shape, handy, easy to use, and effective when any kind of emergency take place on ship. For this
reason, SOLAS has but forth rules and regulations regarding storing, handling, and working of
pyrotechnic equipments use on board ships.

Requirements of pyrotechnics as per SOLAS

Hand Flare- The hand flare’s minimum requirement as per SOLAS chapter III regulation 25 are;

Must be contained in a water tight casing.

 Must have self ignition system.

It should not cause discomfort to the person using it.

It must not harm the survival craft if used while boarding the same.

It must illuminate with a bright red colour.

A simple & brief operating instruction diagram must be there on its casing

Rocket parachute flare- The minimum requirements for rocket parachute flare as per SOLAS
chapter III regulation 26 includes all the points mentioned above with following more
requirements;

The minimum vertical height of rocket, when fired from the operating point, must be 300m.

A parachute must be activated when it reaches top or near to the top of its trajectory level

It must burn for a period not less than 40 sec with minimum luminous intensity of 30000
candelas.

The rate of decent after opening of the parachute must be minimum 5 m/sec.

Arrangement must be such that it must not damage or burn the parachute when the flare
is activated.

Buoyant smoke signals :- The minimum SOLAS requirements for buoyant smoke signal as per
regulation 37 are;
 Contained in water resistance buoyant container with clear diagram for operating
instruction.

It should not ignite or explode if used as per the described operating instruction.

Smoke emitted must be of high visible color with a uniform rate and minimum period of

3 min.

It must emit only smoke and not flame when floating in calm water.

If immersed in water, it must emit smoke for a period of minimum 10 sec.

Line Throwing Apparatus:- The minimum requirements for this appliance as per regulation

49 are;

Must have good accuracy.

A brief instruction with diagram must be present in the container.

Must have minimum 4 projectiles, each carrying line to at least 230 m in calm water.

Must have 4 lines with breaking strength not less then 2 kilo Newton.

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