Transportation Safety Board of Canada
www.bst-tsb.gc.ca
MARINE Reports - 2003 - M03M0077
5.0 Appendices
Appendix A - Occurrence Area
Appendix B - Summary of Transportation Safety Board of Canada Pool Tests
| Boarding Tests (110 kg person boarding head first) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ovatek 4 | with water pockets | dry | Liferaft trimmed and took on a substantial amount of water through the boarding hatch. |
| water inside | Liferaft trimmed, took on additional water through the boarding hatch, and subsequently heeled on its side when first boarder attempted entry. Entry not accomplished. | ||
| without water pockets | dry | Liferaft trimmed and took on a substantial amount of water through the boarding hatch. The liferaft behaved in a similar fashion to the liferaft with water pockets. | |
| water inside | - test not performed - | ||
| Ovatek 7 | ballasted | dry | Liferaft trimmed slightly as boarder entered. No water was taken on through the boarding hatch. |
| water inside | Liferaft trimmed noticeably and heeled slightly as boarder entered. No water was taken on through the boarding hatch. | ||
| Righting Tests | |||
| Ovatek 4 | hatches closed (dry) | Overturned liferaft returned to upright position without assistance. | |
| hatches open (wet) | Overturned liferaft remained overturned, but could be righted with assistance from one person. Without the benefit of a line or strap to aid in righting, people in the water tended to grab and pull on the external water pockets to turn liferaft over. | ||
| Ovatek 7 | hatches closed (dry) | Overturned liferaft returned to upright position without assistance. | |
| hatches open (wet) | Overturned liferaft assumed a near 90-degree orientation on its side. Attempts to right it by two people in the water were not successful. | ||
Appendix C - Description of Type Approval Tests Relevant to this Investigation
The liferaft type approval tests that are of specific interest to this investigation are described in the following paragraphs.36
Mooring Out Test – A liferaft is loaded with a mass equal to the total number of persons that it is to accommodate (each having an average mass of 75 kg) and its equipment, and is moored in a location at sea or in a seawater harbour. The loaded liferaft must then remain afloat for a period of not less than 15 days (30 days for TP 7321 and the SOLAS standard). In the case of an inflatable liferaft, the pressure may be topped up once a day using the manual pump or bellows; however, during any 24-hour period, the liferaft must retain its shape. Upon completion of the mooring out period, the liferaft must not have sustained any damage that would impair its performance.
Loading and Seating Test – The freeboard of the liferaft in the light condition, including full equipment but not personnel, must be recorded prior to this test. The freeboard of the liferaft is again recorded once the full complement, having an average mass of 75 kg and each wearing an immersion suit, have boarded and are seated. In this condition, occupants must have sufficient space and headroom and the freeboard must be at least 300 mm.
Boarding Test – The boarding test is to be carried out in a swimming pool by a team of not more than four people who should be of mature age, of differing physiques, and preferably not strong swimmers. At least one subject shall weigh less than 75 kg. For this test, individuals are to be clothed in shirt and trousers, or a coverall, and be wearing an approved immersion suit. Prior to boarding the liferaft, each individual is to swim about 100 m and, on reaching the liferaft, are to attempt to board it immediately. Each individual must attempt to board the liferaft individually with no assistance from the other swimmers or anyone already on board, and the water must be of sufficient depth to prevent any external assistance when boarding. Liferaft boarding arrangements are considered satisfactory if three of the four individuals board the liferaft unaided, and the fourth boards with the assistance of the others.
Stability Test – To test the stability of a liferaft, two people, each wearing an immersion suit, must first board the empty liferaft and then demonstrate that they can readily assist from the water a third person, also wearing an immersion suit, who is required to feign unconsciousness. The third person must have his or her back towards the liferaft so that he or she cannot assist the rescuers. In this test, it must be ascertained that the water pockets of the liferaft adequately counteract the upsetting movement on the liferaft, and that there is no danger of the liferaft capsizing.
Swamp Test – It must be demonstrated that the liferaft, when in a fully swamped condition, is capable of supporting the number of people it is designed to accommodate, remains seaworthy, and will not seriously deform. It must be tested in at least 10 waves of at least 0.3 m height (SOLAS requires waves of 0.9 m height). The waves may be produced by the wake of a boat or by other suitable means.
Righting Test (Inflatable Liferafts) – Before attempting this test, an inflated liferaft is loaded with its heaviest equipment pack and inverted in the water. All entrances, ports, and other openings in the liferaft canopy must be opened to allow the infiltration of water into the canopy when capsized. The canopy is to be allowed to fill completely with water, if necessary by partially collapsing the canopy support. Righting arrangements are considered satisfactory if each person rights the liferaft unaided.
Righting Test (Rigid Liferafts) – The liferaft is placed in the water and is inverted if it is not of a design that can be used either side uppermost. Righting arrangements are considered satisfactory if each person rights the liferaft unaided. In this test, it is not required to have water enter the liferaft prior to righting.
Appendix D - Glossary
| cm | centimetre(s) |
|---|---|
| CO2 | carbon dioxide |
| FSA | Formal Safety Assessment |
| IEEE | Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers |
| kg | kilogram(s) |
| kW | kilowatt(s) |
| IMO | International Maritime Organization |
| m | metre(s) |
| MED | Marine Emergency Duties |
| mm | millimetre(s) |
| MSA | Marine Safety Advisory |
| MSI | Marine Safety Information letter |
| N | newton(s) |
| psi | pound(s) per square inch |
| rpm | revolution(s) per minute |
| SIIT | Standardization and Innovation in Information Technology |
| SOLAS | International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 |
| SSB | Ship Safety Bulletin |
| TC | Transport Canada |
| TP | Transport Publication |
| TP 1324 | Material Specification for Coated Fabrics Used in the Manufacture of Inflatable Liferafts |
| TP 7321 | Standards for Life Rafts and Inflatable Rescue Platforms |
| TP 11342 | Coastal Life Raft |
| TSB | Transportation Safety Board of Canada |
| VHF | very high frequency |
| ' | minute(s) |
| º | degree(s) |
| ºC | degree(s) Celsius |
1. Units of measurement in this report conform to International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards or, where there is no such standard, are expressed in the International System of units.
2. See Glossary at Appendix D for all abbreviations and acronyms.
3. All locations are in Nova Scotia unless otherwise noted.
4. All times are Atlantic daylight time (Coordinated Universal Time minus three hours).
5. The operator and the crew member each weighed approximately 110 kg.
6. Water pockets are small bags attached to the bottom of a liferaft, which fill with seawater when the liferaft is deployed, providing stability to the liferaft during boarding or in a seaway.
7. The rescue took place at 45º27' north and 060º56' west. See Appendix A.
8. A competent authority is a company engaged in the manufacture or testing of fire-extinguishing equipment as specified in the Fire Detection and Extinguishing Equipment Regulations.
9. Rated pressure of the system is 600 psi.
10. TC's Board of Steamship Inspection Decision 7424 dated August 2001, which is applicable to all fishing vessels exceeding 12.2 m in length, but not exceeding 24.4 m in length or a gross tonnage of 150.
11. The SOLAS requirements are specified in the International Life-Saving Appliances Code and IMO Resolution A.689(17) as amended by resolutions MSC.54(66) and MSC.81(70), as well as circulars MSC/Circ.615 and MSC/Circ.809.
12. One sample in every 10 rolls or 1000 m of textile is tested as per TP 1324, Material Specification for Coated Fabrics Used in the Manufacture of Inflatable Liferafts.
13. Warp direction is lengthwise along the fabric roll; weft direction is perpendicular to warp.
14. Three responses were received from a total of eight manufacturers surveyed.
15. TP 7321 and SOLAS address only lifesaving appliances that carry six or more people.
16. TSB Engineering Laboratory report LP 093/2003
17. No unused samples of nylon from the first supplier were available; calculations based on total fibre cross-sectional area were used to estimate the original strength.
18. Tests were undertaken at the Offshore Engineering Basin of the Institute for Ocean Technology, in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
19. "Free surface" refers to water that is moving freely within a liferaft. This may affect the liferaft's stability.
20. TSB reports M93M0005, M94M0050, and M01N0061
21. A mixture of halon and internal combustion gases could account for the yellow smoke seen exiting the engine exhaust.
22. TSB reports M93M0005 and M94M0020
23. R.B. Paterson and C.A. Sullivan, Fleet Technology Limited, The Development of an Easily Recovered Liferaft, TP 13041, 1997.
24. Significant wave height was approximately four metres.
25. Joint Accident Investigation Commission of Estonia, Finland, and Sweden, Final Report on the Capsizing on 28 September 1994 in the Baltic Sea of the Ro-Ro Passenger Vessel MV Estonia, Government of the Republic of Estonia, December 1997.
27. B. Gebreab, J.A. Gin, and M. Stewart, MGI International Marine Safety Solutions Inc., Development of a SOLAS Liferaft, Transport Canada Report No. TP 11672E, 1993.
28. This was successfully done in spring 2003 by the crew of the fishing vessel Caboteur in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. All six crew members boarded the Ovatek 7 on the deck and were later rescued when their vessel sank beneath the liferaft.
29. TSB Engineering Laboratory report LP 093/2003
30. T. Schoechle, Toward a Theory of Standards, SIIT ‘99 Proceedings: 1st IEEE Conference on Standardization and Innovation in Information Technology, Aachen, September 1999.
31. International Maritime Organization, Maritime Safety Committee 68th Session, May 28 to June 6, 1997, Formal Safety Assessment guidelines adopted, www.imo.org/newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=110&doc_id=345
32. Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2000/2001.
33. TSB Engineering Laboratory report LP 093/2003 reported that testing found that, after a 40-day exposure to seawater, the tear and tensile strength of the nylon did not diminish.
34. Canadian Aviation Regulations, Part V, Subchapter B, Technical Standard Orders, Part 537.103, TSO C70A, Liferafts, www.tc.gc.ca/civilaviation/regserv/affairs/cars/part5/standards/537/sub-b.htm (accessed 12 July 2005).
35. Marine Safety Communication 1995-0015
36. The text is a condensed version of the Canadian Liferaft Standards (TP 7321 and TP 11342) and includes only information pertinent to this investigation.
