Every totally enclosed lifeboat shall be provided with a rigid watertight enclosures which completely encloses the lifeboat. The enclosure shall be so arranged that :
- It protects the occupants against heat and cold.
- Access to the lifeboat is provided by hatches which can be closed to make the lifeboat watertight.
- Hatches are positioned so as to allow launching and recovery operations to be performed without any occupant having to leave the enclosures.
- Access hatches are capable of being opened and closed from both inside and outside and are equipped with means to hold them securely in open position.
- With the exception of the free launched lifeboat it is possible to row the lifeboat.
- When the lifeboat is in the capsized position with the hatches closed and without significant leakage, it is capable of supporting the entire mass of the lifeboat, including all equipment, machinery and its full complement of persons.
- It includes windows or translucent panels on both sides or on the upper sides of rigid enclosure which admit sufficient daylight to the inside of the lifeboat with the hatches closed to make artificial light unnecessary. such windows or panels may be sited on the upper side of the rigid enclosure.
- Its exterior is of a highly visible colour and its interior of a color which does not cause discomfort to the occupants.
- Hand rails provide a secure handhold for persons moving about the exterior of the lifeboat, and aid embarkation and disembarkation.
- The occupants are protected from the effects of dangerous sub-atmospheric pressures which might be created by the lifeboat’s engine.
Capsizing and re-righting:
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