Evacuation systems come under scrutiny

摘要

Marine evacuation systems (MESs) are coming under scrutiny at the IMO, prompted by a paper from the UK inspired by a fatal accident to a volunteer during an exercise in 2002. MESs that allow passengers and crew to safely abandon to liferafts are acceptable under SOLAS, subject to flag state approval, as substitutes for lifeboats on passenger ships and their use has been increasing in recent years. These systems are popular with high speed craft whose design and construction tends not to be ideal for traditional lifeboats. MESs are also becoming more common on larger conventional ferries.