Merchant Shipping (Safety and Load Line Conventions) Act 1932

REGULATION XXVIII Life Rafts.

No type of life raft may be approved unless it satisfies the following conditions:—

(a) It shall be of approved material and construction;

(b) It shall be effective and stable when floating either way up;

(c) It shall be fitted with fixed or collapsible bulwarks of wood, canvas or other suitable material on both sides;

(d) It shall have a line securely becketed round the outside;

(e) It shall be of such strength that it can be launched or thrown from the vessel's deck without being damaged, and if to be thrown it shall be of such size and weight that it can be easily handled;

(f) It shall have not less than 85 cubic decimetres (equivalent to three cubic feet) of air-cases or equivalent buoyancy for each person to be carried thereon;

(g) It shall have a deck area of not less than 3,720 square centimetres (equivalent to four square feet) for each person to be carried thereon, and it shall effectively support the occupants out of the water;

(h) The air-cases or equivalent buoyancy shall be placed as near as possible to the sides of the life raft, and such buoyancy shall not be by any means dependent on inflation by air.