Watch: Freefall Test… The Correct Way
By Mike Schuler on October 1, 2014
We recently saw the wrong way to conduct a lifeboat drop test, now here’s a look at the correct way. (you might want to bypass the lifting and advance to the 4:00 mark (be alert at 4:55) and then hang in to the end as the drop is repeatedly viewed from various angles and speeds.)
The freefall test was performed using a Harding freefall lifeboat at Statoil’s Oseberg Sør offshore oil platform in the North Sea, with Atlantic Offshore’s MV Ocean Response on standby.
The Oseberg Sør platform is located in Block 30/9 of the Oseberg Sør field west of Bergen, Norway. Production at the platform began in February 2000.
It seems that this test went pretty well, especially when compared to THIS, but then again it wouldn’t be called a test if there was no chance of something going wrong.
(The major difference that I saw were in; 1) the shape of the bows and 2) the angle of entry. However, here is another method of escape, but I think that it’s going to require a little more work.)
See you aBout!
Sailing With Devious, 2014 