Lifeboat Heavy Weather Recovery Strops

Marine Operations Lifeboat Heavy Weather Recovery Strops

Contibuted by Captain Yashlok Kumar

According to SOLAS regulations, a lifeboat can be designated as a rescue boat provided that its launching and recovery arrangements comply with the requirements for a rescue boat. A lifeboat is a survival craft used for sustaining the lives of persons in distress from the time of abandoning ship, while a rescue boat is used to rescue a person in distress (overboard) and take that person to board the ship. A ship’s crew must be fully familiar with the launching and recovering of the lifeboat which is designated as a rescue boat. Regular lifeboat drills and the attained hands-on experience of the launching and picking up of the rescue boat keep the ship’s crew well trained and familiar with the practical aspects of this very important lifesaving

operation. SOLAS requires that “Rescue boat launching appliances shall be provided with foul weather recovery strops for recovery where heavy fall blocks constitute a danger”. Ships are provided with a ‘Foul weather recovery arrangement’ in the form of recovery strops when the distance between the fall blocks and the lifeboat hooks is less than 2 metres. The use of the recovery strops ensures that the lifeboat’s fall blocks will not cause any injury to the crew member who is connecting the hooks during foul weather. The arrangement and use of the recovery strops is laid out in the SOLAS training manual. Crew members must be fully aware of the importance and use of the recovery strops. Every drill involving the lowering of a lifeboat into the water is not complete without the use of the recovery strops. Regular training ensures visualization and familiarization of the procedure of recovery strops deployment. Henceforth, these important emergency rigging parts will not be ignored and will be put to proper use at a time of need. With the aim of helping crew members to understand the procedure of the deployment of recovery strops, a demonstration of foul weather recovery was carried out during the last lifeboat drill. Prior to lowering the lifeboat/rescue boat, one end of the approved heavy weather recovery strops was connected to the middle link of the chain which connects the fall block to the lifeboat hook. (The design of this strop varies from vessel to vessel, but it is always made of rope material). One end of the hanging off pendant was connected to the lug provided on the davit arm. The boat was then boarded by the crew members, lowered and maneuvered in the water; sprinklers and other equipment were tried out as usual. Thereafter, the boat was maneuvered back into position to be picked up. The hooks were then reset and instead of connecting the lifeboats to the usual suspension links, the ‘heavy weather strops’ were hooked. The lifeboat was then gently lifted a few metres above the water level and all the crew members witnessed first-hand the process of how a rescue boat can be recovered with ‘foul weather recovery strops’.

Hanging off pendants connected to the davit arms prior to the lowering of the boat. In the photograph, the wires hang freely as the davit is lowered. Note: Ensure all components are approved prior to use and the SWL as per the manual

Rescue boat lifted off the water with ‘foul weather recovery strops’ Notice how the block is well clear of the porthole of the boat at this position. During foul weather, it remains clear of the persons hooking the boat.

The lifeboat was then lowered back into the water and the foul weather strops removed and the normal suspension links connected. This step is not carried out during an actual heavy weather recovery. During the heavy weather recovery the boat is lifted all the way up to the level of the hanging off pendants. Once the lifeboat was up to the level of the hanging off pendants, they were connected to the two lugs on the lifeboat hook, provided for this purpose. Now the boat can be gently lowered again and the weight transferred from the ‘recovery strop’ to the hanging off pendant. (In our case, from the suspension links.)

At this moment, the weight of the lifeboat is completely off the hook and on the maintenance lug on the hook. This was demonstrated to the crew. In an actual scenario the recovery strops are removed from the hook and suspension links are connected to the hook. The boat was then slowly lifted again and the weight transferred from the hanging off pendant back to the suspension links. The boat was then finally hauled up back into the stowage position. The onboard personnel fully comprehended the uses of the ‘foul weather recovery strop’ and ‘hanging off pendant’ during the drill. Heavy weather recovery of lifeboat is an important process which is susceptible to fatal errors, especially if the process in not carried out correctly or if the equipment is not regularly tried out. During this training session, the crew members tackled the issues that can be encountered during this process, the challenges that exist and the kind of team work that is required to pull it off smoothly. If it had just been reading from a book or a training manual, these valuable lessons could not have been acquired. The heavy weather recovery process is a very good practice that can be conducted during the three-monthly life boat maneuvering drill.

Wishing you calm seas & safe voyages

The weight of the lifeboat is transferred to the hanging off pendants. The ‘foul weather strops’ are now free to be removed from the hook and connected back to the ‘suspension link’.