Hand Flare

Hand flare is another marine distress signal designed to be capable to be use in a survival craft without harm to the occupants. The signal will emit a red light of at least 15, 000 candela for a minimum period of one minute. This type of pyrotechnic is used to attract the attention of passing ships and aircraft and is particularly effective at night. The flare is held up into the air in the direction of the ship or aircraft and as clear as possible from the survival craft.

Although specifications very slightly according to makers, every specifications ensures simple handling and safe firing

Comet is one of the leading makers in marine hand flare. Recently, their new design has a unique, telescopic handle which allows easy extension for safe operation and save space in stowage.

First, pull the flare out of grip tube until engaged (where a "click" should be heard)

Unscrew the cap to reveal the ignition cord. To activate it, pull the ignition cord. Hold the flare at the end of grip while burning

Like the Rocket Parachute Flare, some Sibu folks misuse the expired hand flare (it has 3 years validity after been manufactured) as part of the "fireworks" during Chinese New Year. However, the usage of this unit is much more safer and less likely to cause any unwanted incident

Rocket Parachute Flare

Rocket Parachute Flare is one of the safety equipment carried onboard any vessels worldwide. It is used in the event of emergency to provide a simple bright flare which is fired to a height of at least 300 metres and which burns (usually red flare) while falling, the descent being controlled by a parachute.

Comet, a company based in Germany is one of the leading brand in producing quality rocket parachute flare.

To use it is rather simple. First, remove the screw cap which will reveal a ball underneath.

Hold the rocket at angle of 90 degree over the head and pull the ignition cord to fire the distress signal to the air.

However, the expired unit (it has usually a validity of 3 years after is was manufactured) has been misused by the Sibu folks for sometime now. Most of the time it is used as part of the "fireworks" during Chinese New Year celebration and etc. If one see a bright red flare descending from the sky at a slow rate, that is actually a distress signal from this equipment.

The rocket parachute flare can also be a deadly and formidable weapon as been used by the mafia here occasionally (wonder how they got hold of it in the first place) to threaten someone. A direct hit to a house will probably burn it down (I have heard a lot of near miss stories already). A hit to a human body would be fatal.

Hammar H2O Liferaft HRU

Hammar is a leading worldwide brand in producing quality and reliable Hydrostatic Release Unit (HRU) for liferaft

Hammar's Head Office is based in Gothenburg, Sweden

Hydrostatic Release Units are designed to automatically free inflatable liferafts from their stowage after they have been submerged. There may be occasions when manual release is impossible (e.g. if the vessel were to sink very rapidly). The use of HRU is therefore, a very desirable safety measure.

When the ship is submerged about 3 metres deep, the lashing strap of the liferaft is released. The painter is held to the vessel by the weak link. As the liferaft floats free of the vessel, the painter will be pulled out and will inflate the liferaft. The weak link breaks free from the cradle and releasing the liferaft at a certain depth. Otherwise, the liferaft will still be attached with the sinking vessel.

Inside the packaging of the Hammar H20

Hammar is committed to safety and there have been imitation of their HRU lately which prompt them to enhance a few security features on their products. Hence, as of February this year all H2O has a unique Holospot security marking with serial number and production date next to the Holospot marking. The Holospot shimmers in rainbow colours when put under direct light. The Holospot label has a six number alphanumerical code which is different on each product.

The instruction to install HRU correctly to the liferaft lashing

This red part is called the weak link. The liferaft painter must be secured here to ensure the HRU is capable of releasing the liferaft in the event the ship submerged. Most of the common mistake by the ship crew is the failure to locate the weak link and install the painter correctly. This might cause the liferaft to be dragged down along with the sinking ship and unable to be released for the use of the survivors at the surface of the ocean.

After installation, the HRU will have a lifespan of 2 years and should be marked appropriately from the month it was installed. There is actually a blade inside the unit which will be activated by the hydrostatic pressure (as water pressure will rise as it gets deeper in the ocean) in the event the ship submerged. The blade will then cut loose the rope which holds the weak link and release the liferaft.

COMET Line Throwing Appliance

Line throwing appliance fires a lifeline or communication line from a ship in distress or lifeboat to a rescue ship or the shore and vice versa.

COMET is a leading brand for line throwing appliance. Their newest model is definitely an improvement from their previous model. The newest model is compact, less cumbersome and easy to use.

The self contained line throwing unit consisting of a weatherproof plastic casing with end caps; incorporating the handle and trigger.

The operating instruction, safety instruction and the expiry date of the projectile is shown on the casing

This is the trigger for the unit. The safety pin is to be removed before operation. Turn the knob either left or right to launch the projectile and the line

There is an end cap below the unit. The end cap must be removed before initiating the trigger.

It can fire a lifeline 230m away in distance. The lifeline has a length of 320m or more and is made of a material that does not kink

There is a round styrofoam block that hold the projectile down to its resting point. Remove it to reveal the projectile

The projectile has a lifespan of 3 years. The manufacturing and expiry date can be found imprinted on it

This is where the projectile resting in the casing. Turning the trigger will activate this triggering mechanism.

This is where the triggering mechanism will strike and causing the projectile to fire.

To prevent the lifeline from being burnt as it is fired, the line is connected to a thin steel wire to the rear side of the projectile

It is a mandatory requirement for all merchant ship to carry 4 units of line throwing appliance onboard.

Orange Smoke Signal

Orange smoke signal is a marine distress equipment. It is designed to float on the water while emitting a dense of cloud of orange coloured smoke up to 3-4 minutes. The signal is safe to use on oil covered waters and is employed to attract the attention of passing ships or aircraft during daylight hours. The signal should be thrown overboard to leeward after activation. It should never be operated within the confines of the survival craft.

Orange smoke signal usually have a lifespan of 3 years and should be replaced after its expiry date. However, most of the signal will still work if activated even after it has expired.


Remove the cap at the top of the can. Pull out the ignition ring to ignite the signal. It is quite simple to activate it.

I used it at the stroke of midnight during Chinese New Year celebration at my backyard and this was the result. the orange smoke was really dense. The can will be very hot after ignition and one should not hold it by hand or keep it in the survival craft after activation.

Navigational Chart

Navigational chart is like a map used by the ship en route to get to the destination. The most reliable chart provider/publisher is The British Admiralty Chart.

The hard copy charts like this is likely to get obsolete in the future as newer and modern ship is likely to be fitted with electronic charts, which make life a lot easier. With the hard copy chart, the ship's officer will need to update and do the chart correction on a regular basis, according to the Notice to Mariners

Floating Port

Sometime ago my crew came across this rather peculiar structure in the middle of the ocean. Special thanks for Tan Tiong Kee for the photos.

At first I can't believe my eyes when I saw this photos. I thought what in hell is the crane doing in the middle of the ocean? This is a container crane which normally can be found in the container port.

On closer inspection, apparently the crane is built on a barge and tugged by a tugboat. I never thought I will see this day. Obviously the operator of this tug want to minimize the operation cost and hence built a container crane at the barge. Hence, they can discharge or load container to the barge without using the port's crane facility, meaning they save some port charges.

I seen a lot of strange design in marine industry but this definitely takes the cake. Pretty creative and resourceful I have to say.

GME MT403FF EPIRB Review

An Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) is used to alert search and rescue service in the event of emergency. It does this by transmitting a coded message on the 406MHz distress frequency. This message is relayed via satellite and earth station to the nearest rescue co-ordination centre

EPIRB is designed for use when the safety of the ship and crew is endangered and there is no means of communication. An EPIRB can save life and the lives of other on board by leading a air/sea rescue to the precise location. In the past, extensive and lenghty searches have been carried out for missing craft, sometimes to no avail.

GME is not a well known EPIRB manufacturer but recently my company bought one of this. I not quite used with this brand and its operation and hence a learning experience for me also. GME is based in Australia. The package is sturdy and well arranged.

To remove the EPIRB from the auto release housing, hold the outer cover while using free hand to rotate the yellow lever anti clockwise. Without releasing the lever, remove the cover completely away from the fixed part of the housing that holds the beacon. Firmly grasp the beacon and withdraw it from the hosing

To refit back, orientate the beacon such that the side displaying the "Emergency Activation" instructions faces outwards. Insert the head of the beacon between the two retention arms ensuring that the base of the beacon also engages into the housing supports. Commence replacement of the outer cover firstly engaging it at the base over the metal retention tongue. Apply firmly pressure above the yellow lever to press the cover home.

For manual activation, lift the switch cover to open. Slide the "ON" slider switch fully forward. The unit will initially self test, after 2 seconds the flashing strobe and beeps will indicate the beacon is operating. Close the cover to secure the switch.

For water activation, deploy the beacon in water if sea conditions permit. The unit will initially self test, then shortlyafter the flashing strobe and beeps will indicate the beacon is operating.

For manual deployment, unwind the cord and secure the EPIRB to survival craft to prevent loss. When activated, the beacon will transmit the strongest signal to the satellites when floating in water, well clear of surrounding and overhanging objects and the antenna is vertical

This is the first time I see a EPIRB with a stainless steel antenna. My main concern is the antenna is so exposed that it will rust over time and the antenna will break.

The battery have a life span of 6 years. I am indeed surprised as most EPIRB battery has a 5 year life span. Another nice feature

The EPIRB HRU is located behind the housing. Thank God it is the Hammar H2O HRU, which is a common brand and easily sourced.

The EPIRB HRU date is permanently displayed at the front of the housing. This make life easier during inspection as there is no need to open up the housing to verify the HRU expiry date. As the HRU need to be replaced every 2 years, I have an issue on how to update the display here for the new expiry date of the the HRU unit.

The battery expiry date is also permanently displayed at the side of the housing. Hopefully the battery replacement pack came with the new expiry date sticker to update this.

In a nutshell, GME MT403FF is compact and easy to use with longer battery life span. There are a few minor issues which I highlighted above but I'm sure it can be overcome with a little effort.