Accident due to broken suspension link
In this article, we were alerted by Korean Register about a serious incident that happened during a Rescue boat davit & winch operational test, which resulted in the Rescue boat dropping and a PSC detention.
The cause of the incident was a failure of one side of the Suspension Link & Block, which was holding the weight of the Rescue boat. The broken Chain Link was thinner than the required thickness specified by the manufacturer's manual. You can see the following images for more details.
This incident reminds us of the importance of following the agreement and IMO Res. MSC 402(96), which require a thorough inspection of Suspension Link & Block. Here are some precautions given by Korean Register:
- Report any non-compliance issues during the inspection to the Classification Society surveyor as soon as possible.
- Check the condition of Suspension Link & Block (corrosion and wear) according to the manufacturer's manual.
- Monitor for abnormal vibrations and noise during Davit & Winch operational tests.
- Be extra careful during the 5-year periodic inspection.
Additional precaution from our experience as a lifeboat service provider:
- Always replace with genuine parts. Request for load test certificate from manufacturer.
- Davit Manufacturer Mansei Inc recommends a replacement once every 15 years for their suspension link and block, due to strength degradation. So, this can act as a guideline.
- We also suggest replacing them once a 10% loss is noticed.
Please review these preventive measures and make sure that we avoid such accidents in the future. This kind of accident can be easily prevented if the manufacturer's guidelines are followed and affected part was replaced.
*N&P Maritime (S.E.A.) Pte Ltd is the authorized service station for manufacturers such as Jiangsu Jiaoyan F.R.P Co., Ltd, Qingdao Beihai, Zhenjiang Marine, Mansei Inc, Sekigahara Seisakusho Ltd, Fassmer-Marland & more. To see our full list of certificates, please click here.
We supply Genuine, OEM and compatible spare parts for lifeboat, rescue boat and davit.
Contact us at sales@npmarine.sg and/or +65 97684033 if you have any questions about your lifeboat, rescue boat and davit.
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