SAFETY AT SEA

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 122, 28 May 1929, Page 9

SAFETY AT SEA

PROVISION OF BOATS LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES COMMITTEE'S VIEWS British Official Wireless. (Keceived 28th May, 11 a.m.) j ETJGBY, 27th May. j The subject of boats and. other lifesaving appliances on passenger ships has been under consideration by the Committee of the International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea, now sitting in. London. At the previous International Conference held in 1914 which followed the loss of the Titanic, very great public interest was centred in this question of life-saving appliances. Lifeboats on the Titanic were sufficient for 1178 persons, but only 652 left the Titanic in the boats, out of a total of 2201 persons on board. The popular demand was for boats for all and the conference mado provision to meet this demand. The convention of 19U did not come into operation as a convention but national regulations adopted many of the convention provisions, and for some years past practically all ocean-eoinc passenger ships have been required to comply with the convention standard as regards the number of lifeboats carried The experience gained since 1914, however, has shown the prime necessity for the boats being carried so as to be readily available for launching, and it has also proved that where this requirement is not complied with the provision of a largo number of lifeboats may be a source of danger. .The Life-savins Appliances Committee have therefore kept before them two main principles: (1) That all life-saving appliances on ship shall be readily available, and (2) that they shall be adequate. On these matters, the committee's proposals are: (1) That every lifeboat on boara should be so carried as to be readily available in emergency, .and no boat should be carried which will impefte the prompt handling of the boats that are available; and (2) that these readily available boats on oceangoing passenger ships' should provide accommodation for all persons on board In addition, the committee proposes that buoyant apparatus be provided which will float in the sea and provide persons with something to which they can cling, if by reason of the rapid sinking of the vessel/it has been impossible to get them away on boats, (such apparatus is a definite additional measure of safety, and is to be provided in a determined proportion to the number of persons on board. Regarding the use of life rafts it has been round that on certain special voyages life rafts have proved.to be of greater service than boats. The committee contemplates that administrations might, if satisfied that rafts will be more useful than boats, allow rafta in substitution for boats over and above a certain specified minimum accommodation m lifeboats, such minimum being sufficient to ensure that in the North Atlantic passenger trade and in most of the other trades lifeboat accommodation will be provided for all. In view of the improved reliability of motor litpboats, the committee expresses the opinion that where more than a certain number of lifeboats are carried, one or more should be motor-boats fitted with wireless installations and searchlights