ABSTRACT
The many sectors of the industry incorporate numerous life-saving appliances (LSA) in addition to the acceptable enclosed lifeboats. Personal protective wear in the form of inflatable lifejackets sit alongside inherent buoyant lifejackets, while thermal protective aids and immersions suits have become statutory additions for the seafarer. Exposure suits and automatic lifejackets meet the needs of the offshore sector and the smaller spaces of the free-fall survival craft. The mariner should note that where a survival craft requires a launching appliance and is also designed to float free, the float-free release of the survival craft from its stowed position should be automatic. The marine industry has always been a practical industry, but it continues to move forward with the education of our men and women and the application of common sense. Different types of life rafts are now found within the marine environment.
