Two recent marine casualties on commercial fishing vessels (CFVs) have highlighted serious issues with the stowage of lifesaving equipment, which made it difficult or impossible for crews to access when they needed it most.
In the first incident, a 41-foot CFV capsized and sank quickly after taking on water. The personal flotation devices (PFDs) were stored in a hard-to-reach location, preventing the crew from getting them in time. The liferaft was also attached to an aftermarket fiberglass canopy, which broke off during the capsizing and stopped the automatic deployment. Thankfully, a crew member managed to swim to the canopy and manually deploy the liferaft.
In the second incident, a 60-foot CFV caught fire. The crew grabbed PFDs before abandoning ship, but they weren’t stored in easily accessible spots. The PFDs were in the galley, tucked into bench seating, and the throwable life raft was stowed under a ladder inside the pilothouse, obstructing access. The fire started in the engine room, and the intensity of the flames kept the crew from retrieving the liferaft.
The Coast Guard strongly recommends that operators of CFVs:
Ensure automatically deployable liferafts are attached to a strong, permanent, original structure with no overhead or nearby obstructions that could impede their float-free deployment.
Stow manually deployable liferafts in accordance with USCG requirements for readily accessible liferaft launching, per 46 CFR 28.125.
Store PFDs in locations that are readily accessible to all crew members and, if possible, in a manner that allows them to float-free in the event of capsizing.
Questions may be sent to HQS-SMB-CG-INV@uscg.mil.
Very valuable examples to weave into ongoing curriculum. Thanks for the dedication to pass along the lessons learned.