The Merchant Shipping (Life-Saving Appliances for Passenger Ships of Classes III to VI (A)) Regulations 1992

Liferaft Fittings

3.9  The stability of the liferaft when loaded with its full complement of persons and equipment shall be such that it can be towed at speeds of up to 3 knots in calm water.

3.10.1 The liferaft shall be fitted with water pockets complying with the following requirements:

3.10.1.1 The cross-sectional area of the pockets shall be in the shape of an isosceles triangle with the base of the triangle attached to the underside of the liferaft;

3.10.1.2 The design shall be such that the pockets fill to approximately 60% of capacity within 15–25 seconds of deployment;

3.10.1.3 The pockets shall normally have an aggregate capacity of between 225 litres and 250 litres for inflatable liferafts up to and including the 10 person size;

3.10.1.4 The pockets to be fitted on liferafts certified to carry more than 10 persons shall have an aggregate capacity of (20 × N) litres, where N = Number of persons carried.

3.10.1.5 The pockets shall be attached on all of their sides to the underside of the liferaft.

3.10.1.6 The pockets shall be distributed symmetrically round the circumference of the liferaft either side of the CO₂ bottle with sufficient separation between each pocket to enable air to escape readily. The minimum number of pockets shall normally be in the order of:

RAFT CAPACITY	NO OF POCKETS
6–8 inclusive	5
9–16 inclusive	7
17–25 inclusive	11