Different Types of Marine Evacuation Systems

A marine evacuation system (MES) is a very unique evacuation arrangement which allows the people on ships to get into the positioned carling floats during time of emergencies. The most important advantage of having a marine evacuation system on a ship is that the people can get into the floats without getting soaked in the water or facing any danger and can save precious time which could make the entire difference between life and death.

Such MES is largely used in cruise ships and other types of passenger vessels. This aspect has lent another albeit lesser known name to the system – the cruise ship evacuation system. The marine evacuation system on any kind of ship is as per the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) standards.

The working of the marine evacuation system can be explained as follows:

The inflatable slide-way through which the passengers are supposed to reach the inflatable platform on the surface of the water is stored in a cabin that is compact and designed specifically to store the MES

The compact cabin is situated on the main deck of the ship – either externally or internally

The inflatable devices can be activated during an emergency, by pulling on a hand-grip

The compact cabin that is used to store the MES also acts as an entrance point for the passengers to get into the slide-way and subsequently into the floating platform. From the platforms, they are then moved into the appropriate carling floats

There are various companies that make and market marine evacuation system. Similarly there are various kinds of marine evacuation systems that are available in the market. The most featured and the highly unique ones can be elaborated as follows:

The Chute system: The chute system is a type of cruise ship evacuation system that has an evacuation capacity of 565 people within half an hour. The material of the chute is made of Kevlar which ensures that the chute itself is protected during the harsh weather conditions

The Mini-Chute system: The mini-chute has a capacity of evacuating 582 people in half an hour. The mini-chute is made of Kevlar which makes the mini-chute quite durable in the emergency situations. The mini-chute system is flexible and can be set-up and packed up easily and without any kiss

The Slide system: The slide system is advantageous in the sense that it can be set-up anywhere – in both the extremities of the front (forward) and in the back (aft) of the ship. It can be set-up quite flexibly and has an evacuation capacity of 657 people within half an hour. The slide is set up at an angle of 30 degrees which allows a better movement for the evacuees

The Mini-Slide system: The mini-slide system is more for those ships which have low deck height. With an evacuation capacity of 615 people within half an hour, the mini-slide system can be brought into use within two minutes of its inflation. This is the most important feature of the mini-slide system

The marine evacuation system is a concept that needs to be appreciated and admired. It can be hoped that in the days to come, there will be further developments to the cruise ship evacuation system which could be even more helpful in saving lives at times of emergencies.

You may also like to read-What is “Neil Robertson Stretcher” on Ships?

References: zodiacsolas, viking-life

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