FRCs all at sea

摘要

Fast rescue craft (FRCs) were designed originally as a safety measure for the offshore oil industry. Today they are well established and have many rescues to their credit, but developing a workable system of FRCs, launching systems and techniques has taken 40 years and involved some growing pains. Translating the FRC concept into viable rescue system for use from passenger ships is proving equally painful.Whether the FRC is acting as a dedicated standby vessel for an offshore facility or used as an emergency craft for a passenger ship at sea, the operational challenges are very similar. But while operators can pick the weather conditions under which they conduct training exercises, there is no such option when a rescue is called for, yet the crews may be woefully inexperienced in launch, recovery and handling the FRCs in adverse conditions.