Top 3 Types of Marine Evacuation Systems

Different Types of Marine Evacuation Systems

A marine evacuation system (MES) is a unique evacuation system that helps ship passengers reach a cargo buoy in an emergency. The main advantage of having a marine evacuation system on board is that passengers can reach the buoy without getting wet or exposed to danger, saving precious time that could mean the difference between life and death.

This marine evacuation system is widely used on cruise ships and other passenger ships. Hence, it has been given another lesser-known name: cruise ship evacuation system. Marine evacuation systems on all types of ships comply with the regulations of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention.

Marine Evacuation System

The marine evacuation system works as follows:

The inflatable ramp that passengers use to access the inflatable platform on the water is stored in an integrated compartment designed for the Marine Evacuation System (MES). This integrated compartment is situated on the main deck of the ship and can be positioned either outside or inside the hull. In an emergency, the inflation device can be activated by simply pulling a lever.

The built-in compartment is used to store the MES system and also provides access for passengers to the ramp and floating platform. Passengers are transferred from the platform to the corresponding buoys.

Several companies produce and sell marineevacuation systems. There are many types of marine evacuation systems available in the market. Here are the details of some of the most prominent and unique systems:

Slide System:

The slide system is an evacuation system specifically designed for cruise ships, capable of accommodating up to 565 people in half an hour. The canopy is made of Kevlar fiber, providing safety protection in adverse weather conditions.

Mini Canopy System:

The mini canopy can accommodate up to 582 people in 30 minutes. It is made of Kevlar fiber, which is highly resistant in emergencies. It is flexible and easy to install and remove. Slide System: The slide system can be installed anywhere on the bow or stern. Its installation is highly flexible and can accommodate up to 657 people in half an hour. The slide is installed at a 30-degree angle to facilitate the movement of evacuees.

Mini Slide System:

The mini slide system is ideal for low-deck ships. The mini slide system can evacuate up to 615 people in half an hour and can be activated within two minutes after inflation. These are its most important features.

The marine evacuation system is a brilliant and admirable concept. Future cruise ship evacuation systems are expected to be developed and may be more effective in saving lives in emergencies.

What the LSA Code requires an evacuation system to do

The times quoted for these systems come from a performance standard rather than from a brochure. The Life-Saving Appliance Code sets the test: the system must move everyone it is designed for from the ship into the inflated liferafts within 30 minutes on a passenger ship, and within 10 minutes on a cargo ship, timed from the abandon ship signal.

Two further requirements shape the hardware. One person has to be able to deploy the system, because in a real evacuation nobody is spare. And survival craft launching arrangements have to work with the ship listed up to 20 degrees either way and trimmed up to 10 degrees, since a ship that needs the system is rarely upright.

The six-year deployment test and what fails it

SOLAS Chapter III requires each marine evacuation system on board to be deployed in a full test on a rotational basis at intervals not exceeding six years, on top of annual servicing at an approved station. The test is witnessed, and it is the only time anyone on that ship sees the system inflate.

What it catches is dull and physical: packing that has set hard, a stowage container corroded at its securing points, an inflation cylinder that has lost pressure, a release unit past its date. Port state control inspects the servicing certificates and the stowage rather than the fabric, so an expired sticker is the deficiency that gets written up.