Servicing and maintenance of life raft

  Life rafts was an important safety requirement on ships. In their absence, marine fatalities could occur which otherwise could have been prevented. Ships, large boats, and other marine vessels incorporate the usage of life rafts, making them indispensable in the nature of marine vessel operations. 

  Like any equipment, even life rafts require periodic servicing and maintenance. 

  The reasons for life raft repairing and their maintenance can be enumerated as follows:

· Constant usage during drills or previous emergencies can render the life raft weather worn which could cause problems at the time of emergencies.

· The inflation system of the raft could have problems and the lack of the same could pose problems during exigency situations.

· There are a few necessary instrumentations that are stored in the life rafts for using as and when the situation arises. The lack of work ability of these equipments necessitates life raft servicing. 

  Life raft repair services do not just mean repairing and servicing the rafts. They include proper prior inspection and monitoring carried out by qualified technicians. Generally, the inspection of the rafts for any problems or damage is prescribed to be carried annually. A regular yearly monitoring of the life raft ensures longevity of its usage for a considerable span of time. 

  However, the professionals in-charge of the life raft maintenance operations need to possess a few requirements that would certify them to be proficient to carry out the required maintenance work. 

  These requirements can be specified as follows:

· The technicians need to have a certification allowing them to carry out the repairing operation. The validity of the aforesaid certificate however, is only for a period of three years. Therefore it becomes a primary requirement to ensure that a technician’s certification of life raft servicing is valid for the current time period.

· The service centre needs to be as per the appropriate marine industry standards. The absence of a certified service centre would make the repairing services redundant and cause a person to incur further damages and problems.

· The service centre for life rafts needs to be chosen as per the stipulations of the authority sanctioning the usage of the rafts. In case of any discrepancy between the raft sanctioning body and the life rafts servicing centres, there could be unwanted problems for a person getting the necessary repairs carried out.