Safety equipment on pleasure boats

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Suitcase with distress signals

The required safety equipment on recreational boats is required by the state in which it is registered . The regulations are mostly dependent on the waters to be navigated (inland lakes, coastal areas, high seas) and the size of the ship. The designated items must be carried on board ready for use at all times. The skipper is responsible for ensuring that the safety equipment is complete and ready for use. It is in your own best interest not to rely on the owner's information about the equipment - this is especially true for rental or charter boats. The crew should also be made familiar with the safety guidelines and the aids available.

Note : The article reflects the laws currently in force in Switzerland. For Germany, there are no equipment regulations for private ocean voyages, only recommendations. These are published by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development or the German Sailing Association (cruiser department) . However, some of the recommendations become regulations if the ships are used professionally, e.g. B. for charter trips. Chapter V of the SOLAS regulations , which mainly apply to commercial shipping, contains some points that apply internationally to ships of any size.

In terms of good seamanship, it is a matter of course to have equipment appropriate for the area traveled. Aside from fines, negligent omissions can also lead to recourse claims from insurance companies. The English magazine Yachting Monthly tried to find out with its crash test yacht which safety equipment is recommended in the event of an accident .

Equipment required on inland lakes

The Swiss Inland Navigation Ordinance (SR 747.201.1) requires the following minimum equipment for pleasure craft. The Lake Constance Shipping Regulations , which apply to the whole of Lake Constance and the Upper Rhine from Stein am Rhein to Schaffhausen, contain equivalent instructions.

For all types of ships

Every person on board must have an individual lifesaving device - usually a life jacket - or a place in a collective lifesaving device - lifeboats or life rafts . On the relatively small yachts of the inland lakes, lifeboats or life rafts are rather unusual due to their space requirements and their price. Rescue cushions, i.e. floating seat cushions, as they were previously common on motorboats, are no longer considered as life-saving appliances.

Row boats

Sailing ships with a sail area of up to 15 m 2 or motor ships with a propulsion power of up to 30 kW

Sailing ships with more than 15 m 2 sail area

Additionally:

  • Ropes with sufficient holding power for mooring on the jetty
  • Life throw device with a floating line

Motor ships with more than 30 kW propulsion power

Additionally:

  • Bilge pump
  • Freight ships also need an effective sound device

Ships used for the commercial transport of fewer than 12 people also require:

Compass or radar are compulsory for ships that want to set sail in poor weather (fog, blowing snow).

Light guidance

Ships that are under way at night must be able to set the lights prescribed according to the required lighting . A white, stationary all-round light as emergency light is part of the safety equipment. It can be battery operated or a petrol or oil lamp.

Equipment guidelines for German pleasure craft

In Germany there are the equipment recommendations of the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH). There are also safety guidelines from the German Sailing Association (DSV) and requirements from Germanischer Lloyd . For privately used pleasure craft, there are no legally binding regulations on equipment, not even life jackets have to be on board. In the investigation report into a fatal man-over-board accident , the Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation criticized these lax regulations and called for a life jacket to be checked.

Statutory equipment requirement

  • Position lights, approved by the BSH, including spare bulbs,
  • Signal body
  • Sound signaling devices

Recommended minimum security facility

  • Faint-proof life jacket for every person
  • compass
  • Bilge pumps (two systems with a capacity of 5 or 6 m³ / h, one of which is hand-operated)
  • Pütz
  • Bucket, Ösfass
  • Boat hook
  • flashlight
  • binoculars
  • Fire extinguisher
  • anchor
  • Towline
  • Bugle
  • Lifebelt
  • Lifebuoy with throw line
  • Distress signals
  • Storm matches
  • First aid kit
  • Radio receiver
  • Nautical charts
  • Sea books

Recommended additional equipment

  • General: marine radio, NAVTEX device, international signal book, radar reflector, signal flags, on-board pharmacy, reserve canister, spare parts, tools.
  • Navigation: bearing compass, echo sounder, log, navigator, barometer, sextant, chronometer, map compass, course triangles, logbook, clock.
  • Heavy weather: storm jib, trysail, reefing device, reserve tiller, sea anchor, wire cutters, leak sealant, hatchet.
  • Distress at sea: man-over-board buoy with night life light, life raft , EPIRB , radar transponder.

Equipment guidelines for yachts flying the Swiss flag

The equipment of a yacht must include at least the following items in order to be able to apply for a flag license:

General equipment

  • the material (lines, etc.) required to carry out the maneuvers in strength and number depending on the size, type and area of ​​the ship
  • two anchors and two anchor cables , one of which with at least 10 m chain
  • a tow of at least 5 times the length of the ship; it can serve as one of the anchor cables
  • Two bilge pumps , three independent bilge pumps for ships over 24 m long , including at least one hand pump
  • Sufficient number of Ösf or Pütz (buckets)
  • a radar reflector
  • two waterproof lamps with batteries, which are suitable for signaling
  • Sinking tools: sealing material, metal saw , hatchet , knife , hammer , bolt cutters , etc.
  • Emergency tiller that can be attached to the tiller
  • Emergency drinking water supply in a separate container of at least 1.5 liters per person
  • On-board pharmacy with instructions
  • for ships over 10 m in length: a dinghy
  • For ships over 12 m total length: a notice according to rule 9 of Appendix V to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) of 1973 with the applicable regulations regarding waste disposal according to Rules 3 and 5 of the aforementioned Appendix.
  • Additional general equipment for sailing ships
    • Pulpit and guard rail at least 0.60 m high with firmly anchored supports and 2 wire pull-throughs
    • Storm sailing
    • black cone (see lights , main purpose: signaling that the ship is under engine despite the sails set)

Navigational equipment

Lights, sound signals and signal bodies in accordance with the sea road regulations

  • Position lights
  • Anchor light
  • Whistle, horn, bell (depending on the size of the ship)
  • two black balls
  • Emergency lantern

Fire protection and fire fighting

  • at least two hand-held fire extinguishers weighing at least 2 kg of fire class ABC
  • Permanently installed fire extinguishing system (fire blanket, fire pump and distributor or CO 2 system) for ships over 24 m long
  • Ventilation device for engine, el. Battery and fuel tank spaces on ships with inboard engines

For the installation and maintenance of liquid gas systems, the regulations of a recognized classification society or regulation No. 2388 of the Federal Coordination Commission for Occupational Safety (EKAS) must be observed.

Life-saving appliances

Buoy for marking a person who has fallen into the water, attached to the pushpit
  • two lifebuoys of a recognized type, one of which has a self-igniting light; they must bear the name of the yacht and be placed within easy reach of the helmsman.
  • One life jacket of a recognized type per person (according to SOLAS or EN396, EN399)
  • One seat belt of a recognized type per person
  • one or more inflatable life rafts of a recognized type or a rigid life raft in accordance with the SOLAS convention (the latter is only possible for ships over 14 m in length) with a total capacity for all persons on board. An existing dinghy does not replace a life raft. The inflatable life rafts must be checked periodically (in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions) by a specialized workshop; the life rafts and rafts must contain the following minimum equipment:
    • a buoyant throwing ring with at least 30 m buoyant line
    • a waterproof electric lamp that is suitable for signaling
    • a knife
    • an Ösfass
    • a sea anchor (sea anchor )
    • two sponges
    • Repair kit for the air chambers
    • two paddles
    • an air pump
    • a can opener
    • a corrosion-resistant measuring cup
    • 0.5 l drinking water per person
    • six seasickness pills per person
    • two rescue missiles with parachutes
    • three red, automatic hand-held flares
    • First aid pharmacy
    • Guide to survival

The equipment can be packed in a separate container which, however, must be connected to the life raft.

Recommended supplementary equipment for ocean voyages (additional)

  • 1 liter of drinking water per person + 0.5 kg emergency ration (2'250 cal or 9.4 MJ) per person
  • a set of fishing gear
  • Replacement batteries & bulb for the lamp
  • three red, automatic hand-held flares
  • an orange smoke signal
  • a signaling mirror

Distress signals

  • four rescue missiles with parachutes
  • two orange smoke signals
  • four red automatic hand flares
  • Flags N and C

Additionally recommended for ocean voyages:

  • Emergency radio beacons (406 MHz EPIRB , Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons)
  • additional distress missiles
  • Many coastal states require marine radio at a fixed berth

SOLAS Convention, Chapter V

The SOLAS Convention regulates the equipment regulations for commercial shipping internationally. Chapter V does, however, contain some provisions that apply to all seagoing ships and boats.

The following safety equipment is required internationally:

  • A radar reflector , ideally according to ISO8279-1: 2010 or ISO8279-2: 2009 - however, the standard can hardly be implemented
  • A table showing all permitted distress signals . The crew should be trained in their use, how to use them, and what to do if such signs are observed. The misuse of emergency signals is prohibited.

Chapter 5 also contains regulations that oblige the skipper to provide active support in avoiding or providing assistance in the event of an accident. He has to try to inform the coast guard if he discovers shipping hazards that have not yet been reported. This includes unexpectedly strong winds or dangerous flotsam. Skippers of recreational ships are of course also obliged to provide assistance in emergencies at sea, provided that the possibilities allow it - an exception would be, for example, if this would put their own ship or crew in considerable danger.

Sufficient route planning that takes into account the ship used, the experience and size of the crew and the expected weather conditions is also required.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Safety on the water brochure (PDF file; 5.8 MB)
  2. ↑ Rescue cushions and rescue balls are no longer considered to be rescue equipment from 2013 , notification from the Immensee Yacht Club
  3. ^ Rolf Dreyer , Sportküstenschifferschein + Sportbootführerschein See , Delius Klasing Verlag, Bielefeld, 2001
  4. ↑ Fatal personal accident on board the charter yacht DESDEMONA on September 21, 2015 in the area of ​​the approach to Rostock-Warnemünde between fairway buoys 9 and 11 . Federal Bureau for Marine Casualty Investigation . S. April 31, 2017. Accessed July 17, 2018.
  5. ↑ Ocean- going yachts and small boats , Swiss Maritime Shipping Office
  6. ↑ Swiss Maritime Shipping Office: Equipment guidelines  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (As of October 2011; PDF; 29 kB)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.smno.ch  
  7. ↑ SOLAS conventions, explanations for chapter 5 . Royal Yacht Association. Retrieved December 24, 2015.