Emergency evacuation procedures on passenger ferries

Hi, my name is Sarah i am a product design student currently in my
third and final year of study at Staffordshire University, England. For
my final year i have to devise a major project, i have chosen to design
an emergency ebacuation system for use on board passenger ferries. So
far i have decided that the product i'm designing would be situated
around different locations on the vessel. In the event of an emergency
my product would be activated to eject life rafts into the water away
from the vessel. Its purpose is so that it could ensure that there
would at least be some life rafts in the water for anyone whoo managed
to escape. What i'm wanting to know is:

Is the above idea a good one?

Also i would greatly appreciate any input you may have surrounding this
subject area.

Thankyou and i hope to hear from you soon.

wrote

Hi, my name is Sarah i am a product design student currently in my
third and final year of study at Staffordshire University, England. For
my final year i have to devise a major project, i have chosen to design
an emergency ebacuation system for use on board passenger ferries. So
far i have decided that the product i'm designing would be situated
around different locations on the vessel. In the event of an emergency
my product would be activated to eject life rafts into the water away
from the vessel. Its purpose is so that it could ensure that there
would at least be some life rafts in the water for anyone whoo managed
to escape. What i'm wanting to know is:

Is the above idea a good one?


A great idea... and already in use.

Look at http://www.navstation.com/product_346.htm and
http://www.hkedcity.net/article/tv2/...s/liferaft.jpg


--
George in PA http://www.countryside-travel.com

Miracle in May - http://www.cruisemaster.com/miracle.htm
The Mother of All Group Cruises 2 - http://www.moagc2.com/

wrote

Hi, my name is Sarah i am a product design student currently in my
third and final year of study at Staffordshire University, England. For
my final year i have to devise a major project, i have chosen to design
an emergency ebacuation system for use on board passenger ferries. So
far i have decided that the product i'm designing would be situated
around different locations on the vessel. In the event of an emergency
my product would be activated to eject life rafts into the water away
from the vessel. Its purpose is so that it could ensure that there
would at least be some life rafts in the water for anyone whoo managed
to escape. What i'm wanting to know is:

Is the above idea a good one?


A great idea... and already in use.

Look at http://www.navstation.com/product_346.htm and
http://www.hkedcity.net/article/tv2/...s/liferaft.jpg


--
George in PA http://www.countryside-travel.com

Miracle in May - http://www.cruisemaster.com/miracle.htm
The Mother of All Group Cruises 2 - http://www.moagc2.com/

On 16 Feb 2005 08:27:40 -0800, wrote:

s. So
far i have decided that the product i'm designing would be situated
around different locations on the vessel. In the event of an emergency
my product would be activated to eject life rafts into the water away
from the vessel. Its purpose is so that it could ensure that there
would at least be some life rafts in the water for anyone whoo managed
to escape. What i'm wanting to know is:

Is the above idea a good one?

It is common to enter the lifeboat before it gets to the water.

wrote:
In the event of an emergency
my product would be activated to eject life rafts into the water away
from the vessel. Its purpose is so that it could ensure that there
would at least be some life rafts in the water for anyone whoo managed
to escape. What i'm wanting to know is:

Is the above idea a good one?

Depends on why you are abandoning ship, how fast the ship is sinking and
the surrounding conditions. It could, conceivably, cause more mortality
by giving panicky pax the idea they need to jump ship to get to an empty
lifeboat rather than wait in line for one on the ship.

e.g. If the system demands that passengers get wet getting to the
ejected rafts, consider the deadly effects of hypothermia which can
happen rather quickly - especially to the young and old - people lose
body heat 25x's faster in the water than in air. Consider if the ferry
has smashed into rocks or a pier, you don't want people in the water
between the boat and such. You also don't want people jumping into seas
capable of disabling a large ship, as swimming to a raft will be next to
impossible for most in those kinds of conditions.

Also i would greatly appreciate any input you may have surrounding this
subject area.

It should be a last ditch system, instigated only when all other
measures have failed to insure safety. Unfortunately, the very vessels
that would benefit most from such a system would be the old clunkers
that wouldn't spend the money on maintenance or a well equipped ship and
trained crew. In addition, does the cost of retrofitting/installing the
system make the idea still viable.

If it is dark or stormy, how visible is the raft and how long before it
drifts out of swimming range. How easy is it to board from the sea.
If the ship loses power, does the "ejector" still function in a manual
mode.

Prevention should be prime. Stringent vessel maintenance and inspection
- well trained/drilled crew with an SOP to follow in the event of an
emergency will be less likely to panic themselves with a specific job
and procedure to follow - adequate life boats and PFDs for the kinds and
numbers of pax - ferries designed with sufficiently large *exits* from
interior spaces and good fire fighting capabilities would have better
abilities to deter putting their pax in harms way.


Thankyou and i hope to hear from you soon.

Good luck with the project and your research.