Ingangsdatum: 30-05-1996
General
1 Administrations
should ensure that the periodic survey of inflatable liferafts is performed at servicing
stations that have demonstrated competence to service and repack rafts, maintain an adequate
facility and use only properly trained personnel. In order to be approved, servicing stations
should have demonstrated this capability for inflatable liferafts of each manufacturer whose
liferafts they are competent to service and should comply with the following:
.1 servicing of inflatable liferafts should be carried out in fully
enclosed spaces only. There should be ample room for the number of inflatable liferafts
expected to be serviced at any one time; the ceiling should be sufficiently high to allow the
largest liferafts to be serviced to be turned over when inflated, or an equally efficient
means to facilitate inspection of bottom seams should be provided;
.2 the floor should be provided with a clean surface sufficiently smooth to ensure
that no damage will occur to the liferaft fabric;
.3 the servicing
space should be well lit, provided that direct rays of sunlight do not enter the space;
.4 the temperature and, when necessary, the relative humidity in the
servicing space should be sufficiently controlled to ensure that servicing and repairs can be
effectively carried out;
.5 the servicing space should be
efficiently ventilated, but be free from draughts:
.6 separate areas
or rooms should be provided for:
.6.1 liferafts awaiting servicing, repair or delivery;
.6.2 the repair of glass fibre containers and the painting of compressed
gas cylinders;
.6.3 materials or spare parts;
.6.4
administrative purposes; .7 means should be provided in the liferaft storage space to
ensure that liferafts in containers or valises are neither stored on top of each other in
more than two tiers unless supported by shelving nor subjected to excessive loads;
.8 spare and obsolete pyrotechnics should be stored in a separate, safe
and secure magazine well away from the servicing and storage spaces;
.9 sufficient tools should be available for the servicing of liferafts and release
gear in accordance with the requirements of the manufacturer, including:
.9.1 suitable
and accurate manometers or pressure gauges, thermometers and barometers which can be easily
read;
.9.2 one or more air pumps for inflating and deflating liferafts,
together with a means of cleaning and drying the air and including the necessary
high-pressure hoses and adapters;
.9.3 a scale for weighing inflation gas
cylinders with sufficient accuracy;
.9.4 sufficient gas for blowing through
the inlet system of the liferafts; .10 procedures should be established to ensure that
each gas cylinder is properly filled and gastight before fitting to a liferaft;
.11 sufficient materials and accessories should be available for
repairing liferafts, together with replacements of the emergency equipment to the
satisfaction of the manufacturer;
.12 when servicing
davit-launched liferafts, adequate means should be provided for overload testing of such
liferafts;
.13 servicing and repair work should only be carried out
by qualified persons who have been adequately trained and certificated by the liferaft
manufacturer. The training procedure should ensure that servicing personnel are made aware of
changes and new techniques;
.14 arrangements should be made for the
manufacturer to make available to the service station:
.14.1 changes to servicing
manuals, servicing bulletins and instructions:
.14.2 proper materials and
replacement parts;
.14.3 bulletins or instructions from the Administration;
.14.4 training for servicing technicians; .15 smoking should not be
allowed in the servicing and packing areas.
2
After initial approval, Administrations should arrange for the frequent inspection of
servicing stations to ensure that manufacturer support is up to date and effective and that
the requirements of this Recommendation are complied with.
3 Administrations should ensure that information regarding servicing facilities for
inflatable liferafts is made available to mariners.
Servicing of inflatable liferafts
4 The
following tests and procedures should be carried out, except where noted otherwise, at every
servicing of an inflatable liferaft fitted as life-saving equipment.
5 Inflatable liferaft servicing should be carried out in accordance
with the appropriate manufacturer's servicing manual. Necessary procedures should include,
but not be limited to, the following:
.1 inspection of the container
for damage;
.2 inspection of the folded liferaft and the interior of
the container for signs of dampness;
.3 a gas inflation (GI) test
should be carried out at 5-year intervals, and when undertaking a gas inflation test, special
attention should be paid to the effectiveness of the relief valves. The folded liferaft
should be removed from its container before activating the fitted gas inflation system. After
gas inflation has been initiated, sufficient time should be allowed to enable the pressure in
the buoyancy tubes to become stabilized and the solid particles of CO2 to evaporate. After
this period the buoyancy tubes should, if necessary, be topped up with air, and the liferaft
subjected to a pressure holding test over a period of not less than one hour during which the
pressure drop will not exceed 5% of the working pressure;
.4 each
liferaft should be subjected to the necessary additional pressre (NAP) test as described in
appendix 1. at yearly intervals after the tenth year of the liferaft`s life unless earlier
servicing id deemed necessary as a result of visual inspection. After allowing sufficient
time for the liferaft to regain fabric tension at working pressure, the liferaft should be
subjected to a pressure holding test over a period of not less then one hour during which the
pressure drop should not exceed 5% of the working pressure;
.5 when
a NAP or GI test is not required, a working pressure (WP) test should be carried out (see
appendix 2), by inflation of the liferaft with dry compressed air, after removing it from the
container shell or valise and from its retaining straps if fitted, to at least the working
pressure, or to the pressure required by the manufacturer's servicing manual if higher. The
liferaft should be subjected to a pressure holding test over a period of not less than one
hour during which the pressure drop will not exceed 5% of the working pressure;
.6 while inflated, the liferaft should be subjected to a thorough
inspection inside and out in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions;
.7 the floor should be inflated, checked for broken reeds and tested in
accordance with the manufacturer's instructions;
.8 the seams
between floor and buoyancy tube should be checked for slippage or edge lifting;
.9 with the buoyancy tubes supported by a system which leaves the floor
seams unsupported, at a suitable height above the service floor as shown in appendix 3, a
person weighing not less than 75kg should walk/crawl should the perimeter of the floor for
the entire circumference and the floor seams should be checked again. manufacturers may
substitute this test with another test which will determine the integrity of the floor seam
until the next inspection is due. this test should be carried out at yearly intervals after
the tenth year of the liferaft`s life;
.10 after deflation, arch
roots should be checked in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions;
.11 all items of equipment should be checked to ensure that they are in good
condition and that dated items are replaced at the time of servicing if there is less than 6
months remaining before the expiry date approved by the Administration;
.12 davit-launched liferafts should be subject to a 10% overload suspension test at
every second servicing. The floor seam (FS) test required in the eleventh and subsequent
years need not be carried out for davit launched liferafts at servicings when the overload
suspension test is conducted;
.13 a check should be made to ensure
that the liferaft and the atmosphere are dry when the liferaft is being repacked;
.14 the required markings should be updated and checked;
.15 a record of servicing should be maintained for at least 5 years
after the date of service;
.16 statistical records should be
prepared on all liferafts serviced, indicating, in particular, defects found, repairs carried
out and units condemned and withdrawn from service. Such statistics should be available to
the Administration. Responsibilities of manufacturers, Administrations and shipowners
6 In order to ensure that the servicing of inflatable
liferafts is effectively conducted to provide reliable survival craft in an emergency,
manufacturers, Administrations and shipowners have parallel and overlapping responsibilities;
these include, but are not limited to the following:
.1
Manufacturers are responsible for:
.1.1 ensuring that their liferafts can be adequately
serviced in accordance with this Recommendation or with any additional requirements necessary
for that particular product and design and thereto accredit a sufficient number of servicing
stations;
.1.2 ensuring that each servicing station accredited by them for
servicing and repair of their liferafts has qualified persons whom they have adequately
trained and certificated to perform such work and who are aware of any changes or new
techniques;
.1.3 keeping Administrations fully informed as to the list of
servicing stations accredited by them and any changes thereto;
.1.4 making
available to service stations
- changes to servicing manuals, servicing
bulletins and instructions;
- proper materials and replacement parts;
- bulletins or instructions from the Administration;
.1.5
keeping Administrations fully informed of any shipping casualties known to them and involving
their liferafts; and also of any failures of liferafts, other than failures during
inspections which are known to them; and
.1.6 informing shipowners whenever
possible of any deficiency or danger known to them and related to the use of their liferafts
and taking whatever remedial measures they deem necessary;
.2 the
Administration is responsible for the approval of servicing station for inflatable liferafts
and for conducting periodic checks to determine compliance with this recommendation and for
checking quality assurance by such checks or inspections as are deemed to be adequate to
ensure aompliance. However, for the approval of servicing station for inflatable liferaftss
situated in other countries, the Administration may accept or recognize servicing stations
approved, checked or inspected by surveyors nominated for the purpose or recognized
organizations or by other SOLAS Contracting Government;
.3
Shipowners are responsible for ensuring, as a minimum requirement, that all liferafts fitted
as life-saving equipment are approved and are serviced at the appropriate intervals at an
approved servicing station. Whenever practicable, a representative of the shipowner should be
in attendance during service.