5/16/2023 0 Comments Lifecraft hrv![]() This is normally provided by fitting a hook shaped device, known as a senhouse slip, to the canister strap. In addition to the HRU automatic release system, liferaft canister securing must also be fitted with a manual release system. The liferaft will then rise to the surface, fully inflated and ready for boarding by survivors. The buoyancy force of the inflated liferaft will be sufficient to break the weak link. When the painter is pulled all the way out, a gas cylinder inside the canister is activated and the liferaft inside the canister inflates. This action pulls out the painter which is now only connected to the vessel by the weak link. The HRU (coloured orange in this bulletin’s photos) is pressure operated and is designed to release automatically when the raft canister and its HRU are submerged to a depth of four metres.Īfter release the liferaft canister will float to the surface because of its internal buoyancy. It will be attached to a canister securing strap in combination with what is known as a weak link to which the liferaft’s painter (mooring line) is also connected. ![]() The key component of a liferaft’s ability to float free from a sinking ship is the HRU which is an integral part of the securing of a liferaft’s protective fibreglass canister fitted in a steel rack on deck. This Risk Bulletin is therefore focused on this on-going and potentially life threatening problem. Flag State, Port State Control and P&I surveyors are still faced regularly with such HRU related deficiencies. However, a liferaft’s float free and self-inflation system will not work if its HRU is not properly fitted or maintained. ![]() The other very positive feature is that a liferaft fitted with a Hydrostatic Release Unit (HRU) will automatically release, float free and inflate even if a ship should suddenly break up or capsize. One of the main benefits of liferafts is that even if the seas are too rough to launch a ship’s lifeboats or a ship is listed too heavily for its lifeboat davits to function, the crew will still be provided with a means of escaping a sinking vessel. ![]()
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