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There are approximately 2-3000 shipping containers lost overboard every year world wide. I'll find the citation. Some go down with the cargo vessel, some get loose and a stack will fall overboard. Usually they sink or float, no problem. If the cargo is something like drums of lube, they will fill with water and become neutrally buoyant. They will float at or just below the surface, and that's something every mariner dreads and hopes they never see/come in contact with in the middle of the night.
All liferafts deploy upside down in the wind, it's inherent to liferafts. That's why there are righting lines and water buckets on the bottom. Once you get it righted, the buckets fill with water and it becomes ballasted. If the liferaft painter was near the righting lines, you would have had to right the liferaft into the wind, an almost impossible task. Any mariner who makes international voyages from a country subject to IMO regulations has to go to school to learn how to properly deploy a liferaft. I don't know what country the Oriental Siren was flagged, but liveaboard dive operators tend to seek out countries to flag in that are not signatory, which reduces operating costs significantly. Like to the tune of 10-25,000 dollars per year for inspections and mandatory training.
So, do you want your crew trained to properly right an upside down liferaft, or do you want to save a hundred bucks on your dive trip? The answer is obviously clear, and we asked this specific question in a recent survey we held. Divers overwhelmingly (94%) don't care about their own safety involving air tests, vessel inspections or crew training, they'd rather save a hundred bucks on the trip. Go for it.
All liferafts deploy upside down in the wind, it's inherent to liferafts. That's why there are righting lines and water buckets on the bottom. Once you get it righted, the buckets fill with water and it becomes ballasted. If the liferaft painter was near the righting lines, you would have had to right the liferaft into the wind, an almost impossible task. Any mariner who makes international voyages from a country subject to IMO regulations has to go to school to learn how to properly deploy a liferaft. I don't know what country the Oriental Siren was flagged, but liveaboard dive operators tend to seek out countries to flag in that are not signatory, which reduces operating costs significantly. Like to the tune of 10-25,000 dollars per year for inspections and mandatory training.
So, do you want your crew trained to properly right an upside down liferaft, or do you want to save a hundred bucks on your dive trip? The answer is obviously clear, and we asked this specific question in a recent survey we held. Divers overwhelmingly (94%) don't care about their own safety involving air tests, vessel inspections or crew training, they'd rather save a hundred bucks on the trip. Go for it.
