NEW STANDARD FOR DESIGN OF FREE FALL LIFEBOATS

摘要

A new standard for site-specific design of free fall lifeboats has been developed, aiming at providing for sufficiently safe lifeboat designs. The objective has been to develop a standard that follows the same reliability-based safety philosophy and design principles as those implemented and used for design of conventional fixed and floating offshore structures. The standard is intended to cover all aspects involved in the design process for a free fall lifeboat, providing requirements that shall be met in design as well as guidance on how to meet these requirements. The following aspects are covered: Safety philosophy and design principles, metocean conditions, loads, materials, structural design, operational requirements, occupant safety and comfort, model testing and full scale testing, installation, equipment, and qualification of lifeboat concepts.The new standard is published both as an OLF Guideline by the Norwegian Oil Industry Association OLF and as a DNV Offshore Standard, DNV-OS-E406, by Det Norske Veritas.The paper presents the highlights of the new standard with emphasis on topics which are critical for design of free fall lifeboats, first of all structural safety, human safety and comfort, and headway.