Section 2.6 Safety Equipment: LSA, FFA – Specifics and Quantities for Bulk Carriers

The safety of life at sea and the protection of the vessel itself are paramount concerns in maritime operations. International conventions, primarily SOLAS (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea), mandate a comprehensive suite of safety equipment designed to prevent incidents, mitigate their consequences, and ensure the survival of personnel in emergencies. This equipment is broadly categorized into Life-Saving Appliances (LSA) and Fire-Fighting Appliances (FFA). For bulk carriers, specific types and quantities of this equipment are required, reflecting their size, crew complement, and the nature of their operations and cargoes. The Master holds ultimate responsibility for ensuring that all safety equipment is present, in good working order, readily accessible, and that the crew is thoroughly trained in its use.

1. Life-Saving Appliances (LSA):

LSA are designed to enable personnel to abandon ship safely in an emergency and to survive until rescued. The SOLAS LSA Code provides detailed technical specifications for this equipment.

  1. Key LSA and Their Requirements for Bulk Carriers:
    1. Lifeboats:
      1. Quantity and Type: Bulk carriers are typically required to carry totally enclosed lifeboats. For cargo ships, the general requirement is for lifeboat capacity to accommodate 100% of the persons on board on each side of the vessel (i.e., if one side is unusable due to list or damage, the lifeboats on the other side can take everyone).
      2. Free-fall Lifeboats: Very common on modern bulk carriers, especially those built after the mid-1990s. These are stowed aft, designed to be launched by sliding down a ramp and falling into the water away from the ship, providing a rapid and safer means of abandonment, particularly if the vessel has a significant list or is sinking rapidly. If a free-fall lifeboat is fitted aft, it typically accommodates 100% of the crew. In such cases, additional liferaft capacity is often required to make up the total 200% (100% each side) or specific Flag State interpretations.
      3. Launching Appliances: Davits (gravity, luffing type) for conventional lifeboats, or a launch ramp for free-fall lifeboats. Must be regularly tested and maintained.
      4. Equipment: Lifeboats are equipped with provisions, water, first aid kits, pyrotechnics, sea anchors, and other survival gear as specified in the LSA Code. Engines must be started weekly.
    2. Liferafts:
      1. Quantity and Type: Inflatable liferafts are required to supplement lifeboat capacity. The total capacity of liferafts should generally be sufficient to accommodate 100% of the persons on board. If davit-launched lifeboats are provided on each side (each for 100% POB), then liferafts for 100% POB are still required. If a free-fall lifeboat (100% POB) is fitted, then liferafts for at least 100% POB are typically required, strategically placed for easy launching (throw-overboard type). Some may be davit-launched.
      2. Stowage: Stowed in GRP containers fitted with hydrostatic release units (HRUs), allowing them to float free and inflate automatically if the ship sinks.
      3. Servicing: Must be serviced annually at an approved shore-based service station.
    3. Rescue Boat(s):
      1. Requirement: At least one rescue boat is required for rescuing persons in distress and for marshalling liferafts. On many bulk carriers, one of the lifeboats may be designated and equipped as a rescue boat, provided it meets specific requirements (e.g., speed, maneuverability, quick launching). If not, a dedicated rescue boat (often a rigid or inflated type with an outboard or inboard motor) is carried.
      2. Launching: Must be capable of being launched in a short time (typically within 5 minutes).
    4. Lifejackets:
      1. Quantity: One approved lifejacket for every person on board, plus additional lifejackets for persons on watch (e.g., on the bridge, in the engine control room, at mooring stations) and for use at remotely located survival craft stations. Sufficient child-sized lifejackets if children are ever carried.
      2. Features: Must be fitted with a whistle and a SOLAS-approved light.
      3. Stowage: Clearly marked and readily accessible stowage positions.
    5. Immersion Suits (Anti-Exposure Suits):
      1. Quantity: One immersion suit for every person on board. These are crucial for survival in cold waters, providing thermal protection.
      2. Stowage: Readily accessible, often stowed with lifejackets or in cabins.
      3. Additional Sets: Extra suits may be required at remote watch stations or work stations.
    6. Lifebuoys:
      1. Quantity: Determined by the length of the vessel. For a typical bulk carrier, 8 to 14 or more lifebuoys might be required.
      2. Distribution: Strategically distributed on both sides of the vessel, readily available for immediate use.
      3. Attachments:
        1. At least half must be fitted with self-igniting lights.
        2. At least two of those with lights must also be fitted with self-activating smoke signals (MOB markers – Man Overboard Buoys), usually located on the bridge wings for quick release.
        3. At least one lifebuoy on each side must be fitted with a buoyant lifeline (length at least twice the height from stowage position to waterline in lightest seagoing condition, or 30 meters, whichever is greater).
    7. Pyrotechnics (Distress Signals):
      1. Types and Quantity:
        1. Rocket Parachute Flares: At least 12 units, stowed on or near the bridge.
        2. Hand Flares: At least 6 units (often more carried, also in lifeboats/liferafts).
        3. Buoyant Smoke Signals: At least 2 units (for daylight distress signaling, also in lifeboats/liferafts).
      2. Expiry Dates: All pyrotechnics have expiry dates and must be replaced before they expire.
    8. Line-Throwing Apparatus:
      1. Requirement: At least one approved apparatus capable of throwing a line with reasonable accuracy.
      2. Spares: At least 4 projectiles and 4 lines.
    9. EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) and SART/AIS-SART:
      1. These are part of GMDSS equipment (covered in the previous section) but are also critical LSA.
      2. EPIRB: One 406 MHz EPIRB, capable of floating free and automatic activation.
      3. SART (Search and Rescue Transponder) / AIS-SART: At least one SART (Radar transponder) or one AIS-SART. If the vessel is over 500 GT (all bulk carriers are), two are typically required (one for each side, or for rapid deployment).
  2. Maintenance, Inspection, and Drills (LSA):
    1. Weekly Inspections: Visual inspection of lifeboats, rescue boats, launching appliances, and survival craft equipment. Lifeboat/rescue boat engines run weekly.
    2. Monthly Inspections: More detailed inspection of LSA inventory and condition. Liferafts checked for security and HRU status.
    3. Annual Thorough Examinations and Servicing: Launching appliances, release gear, and davit-launched liferaft automatic release hooks by ship’s crew or manufacturer’s representative. Liferafts, hydrostatic release units, and inflatable lifejackets serviced at approved shore stations.
    4. Five-Yearly Servicing: Overhaul of lifeboat on-load release gear (often requiring specialized technicians), dynamic winch brake tests.
    5. Drills:
      1. Abandon Ship Drills: Conducted monthly. Involves mustering, donning lifejackets/immersion suits, proceeding to stations, and simulating launching. Each lifeboat must be swung out (and lowered if practicable and safe) at least once every three months.
      2. Emergency Steering Drills: Quarterly.
    6. Training: All crew members must receive training and instruction in the use of all LSA. Records of inspections, maintenance, and drills must be meticulously kept (e.g., in the official logbook, PMS records, safety meeting minutes).

2. Fire-Fighting Appliances (FFA):

FFA are designed to detect, control, and extinguish fires onboard. SOLAS Chapter II-2 (Construction – Fire protection, fire detection and fire extinction) details the requirements.

  1. Key FFA and Their Requirements for Bulk Carriers:
    1. Fire Detection and Alarm Systems:
      1. Machinery Spaces: Must be fitted with a fixed fire detection and alarm system (e.g., smoke, heat, or flame detectors) covering all parts of the machinery space of Category A.
      2. Cargo Holds: For bulk carriers intending to carry cargoes prone to spontaneous combustion or emitting flammable gases (as identified in the IMSBC Code, e.g., some types of coal, DRI HBI), a fixed fire detection system (e.g., smoke sampling or temperature monitoring) or gas detection system for the cargo holds is required.
      3. Accommodation and Service Spaces: Smoke detectors and manual call points are required.
      4. Central Alarm Panel: Located on the bridge (or in a continuously manned fire control station).
    2. Fire Mains, Hydrants, Hoses, and Nozzles:
      1. Fire Pumps: At least two independently powered fire pumps are required (one may be main engine driven on smaller ships, but on bulk carriers, usually two independent motor-driven pumps). An emergency fire pump, located outside the machinery space with an independent power source, is also required.
      2. Fire Main: A permanent pipeline system supplying water to hydrants throughout the vessel. Must be capable of delivering specified water pressure at the highest/most remote hydrants.
      3. Hydrants: Sufficient number and strategically located so that at least two jets of water (not emanating from the same hydrant) can reach any part of the ship normally accessible to crew while the vessel is underway, and any part of any cargo space when empty.
      4. Fire Hoses: Sufficient number and length, made of approved material, fitted with couplings. Stowed near hydrants, protected from weather.
      5. Nozzles: Dual-purpose (jet/spray) nozzles.
    3. Portable Fire Extinguishers:
      1. Types: Water, foam, dry powder (DP), carbon dioxide (CO2), wet chemical (for galley deep fat fryers). The type depends on the class of fire they are designed to extinguish (Class A: combustible solids; B: flammable liquids; C: flammable gases; D: combustible metals; F: cooking oils/fats).
      2. Quantity and Location: Sufficient number distributed throughout accommodation, service spaces, machinery spaces, and on deck, according to a fire control plan. Spare charges or additional extinguishers are required.
      3. Servicing: Regularly inspected by crew; serviced and pressure tested by approved technicians at prescribed intervals.
    4. Fixed Fire-Extinguishing Systems:
      1. Machinery Spaces of Category A (Main Engine Room, Auxiliary Engine Rooms): Must be protected by an approved fixed fire-extinguishing system. Common systems for bulk carriers include:
        1. Fixed Gas System (CO2, Novec 1230, FM-200, Inergen): CO2 is traditional but has safety concerns due to its asphyxiant nature (requires pre-discharge alarms, time delays, and evacuation). Newer halocarbon alternatives (like Novec 1230) or inert gas systems are increasingly used.
        2. High-Expansion Foam System: Fills the space with foam.
        3. Water Mist System (Pressure Water Spraying System): Uses fine water droplets to cool and smother the fire.
      2. Cargo Spaces:
        1. For bulk carriers built after 1 January 2016, SOLAS requires that cargo spaces intended for the carriage of coal (excluding petcoke and other specific types) shall be protected by a fixed water-based fire-fighting system using water spray, or a fixed gas fire-extinguishing system (e.g., CO2) that can be rapidly discharged.
        2. If carrying other dangerous goods in bulk as per the IMSBC Code, specific fixed systems may be required based on the cargo.
        3. CO2 systems for cargo holds, if fitted, must have sufficient gas to flood the largest hold. Means must be provided to prevent gas from escaping (e.g., closing ventilators).
      3. Paint Lockers and Flammable Liquid Stores: Often protected by a fixed system (e.g., CO2, dry powder, foam).
      4. Galley Exhaust Ducts: Fixed system for extinguishing fires within the duct.
    5. Fireman’s Outfits:
      1. Quantity: At least two sets. For tankers, more are required, but for typical bulk carriers, two is standard.
      2. Components: Each outfit includes:
        1. Protective clothing (fire-resistant material).
        2. Boots and gloves.
        3. Rigid helmet.
        4. Electric safety lamp (explosion-proof).
        5. Axe.
        6. Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) with spare charged cylinders. SCBAs must have a duration of at least 30 minutes.
      3. Stowage: Stowed in readily accessible, clearly marked locations, often dispersed (e.g., one forward, one aft, or both near the main accommodation exits).
    6. Emergency Escape Breathing Devices (EEBDs):
      1. Purpose: For escape from a compartment that has a hazardous atmosphere (e.g., smoke-filled). Not for fire-fighting.
      2. Quantity and Location: Sufficient number in accommodation spaces and machinery spaces. Specific numbers and locations are detailed in SOLAS (e.g., in machinery spaces, near escape routes).
      3. Duration: Typically 10-15 minutes of air.
      4. Training: Crew must be trained in their use.
  2. Maintenance, Inspection, and Drills (FFA):
    1. Weekly/Monthly Inspections: Visual checks of extinguishers, hydrants, hoses, nozzles, fixed system release stations, detection systems, SCBA pressures, EEBDs.
    2. Quarterly Checks: Alarms, emergency stops for ventilation/fuel pumps.
    3. Annual Servicing/Testing: Portable extinguishers, fixed system operational tests (e.g., CO2 system pilot cylinder release, foam system tests), fire pump tests, SCBA/EEBD checks, hose pressure testing, fire detection system tests by competent personnel.
    4. Two-Yearly/Five-Yearly/Ten-Yearly: More extensive servicing of fixed systems (e.g., CO2 cylinder level checks/hydrostatic tests, foam sample analysis, SCBA cylinder hydrostatic tests).
    5. Drills: Fire drills must be conducted monthly. Should simulate various fire scenarios in different locations (accommodation, engine room, cargo area, on deck). Involves mustering, donning fireman’s outfits and SCBAs, using extinguishers, rigging hoses, testing emergency systems.
    6. Training: All crew members must receive training in fire prevention, detection, and fire-fighting techniques, including the use of portable extinguishers and SCBAs. Specialized training for fire parties.
    7. Fire Control Plans: Clearly displayed plans showing the location of all FFA, control stations, and escape routes. Must be kept updated.

Analysis for the Master (Safety Equipment – LSA & FFA): The Master has an overriding responsibility for the safety of the crew and the vessel. This translates directly to the management of LSA and FFA.

  1. Readiness and Compliance: Ensure all safety equipment is present as per statutory requirements (Flag State, SOLAS), in good operational condition, properly maintained, and certified. This is a primary focus of PSC and Class surveys.
  2. Crew Proficiency: The best equipment is useless if the crew does not know how to use it effectively and safely. The Master must ensure regular, realistic drills and ongoing training to maintain crew proficiency and confidence. This includes familiarization for new crew members.
  3. Maintenance Culture: Foster a strong safety culture where maintenance of safety equipment is prioritized, and defects are reported and rectified promptly. The PMS for safety equipment must be rigorously followed.
  4. Record Keeping: Meticulous records of all inspections, maintenance, servicing, drills, and training related to LSA and FFA are mandatory and essential for demonstrating due diligence.
  5. Emergency Preparedness: The Master leads the ship’s emergency response. A thorough understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the vessel’s LSA and FFA is crucial for effective command during any emergency. Muster lists and emergency instructions must be clear and up-to-date.
  6. Specific Bulk Carrier Risks: Be particularly mindful of fire risks associated with certain bulk cargoes (e.g., coal, DRI) and ensure that cargo hold fire-fighting and detection systems are fully operational and that crew are trained for these specific hazards. Similarly, understand the abandonment procedures, especially if equipped with a free-fall lifeboat.

The safety equipment onboard a bulk carrier is a comprehensive system designed to address a wide range of potential emergencies. Its effectiveness hinges on three pillars: the quality and suitability of the equipment itself, the diligence with which it is maintained, and the competence of the crew in using it. The Master is central to upholding all three.

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