NTSB makes new call for crewmember personal locator devices
Written by Nick Blenkey
The National Transportation Safety Board is urging vessel owners and operators to provide each crewmemberwith a personal locator device. This latest NTSB call for the use of devices such as personal locator beacons (PLB) or satellite emergency notification devices (SEND), comes in the form of a safety alert.
The NTSB notes that it issued Safety Recommendation M-17-45 to the U.S. Coast Guard in 2017 to require PLBs for mariners aboard vessels.
“We have reiterated the recommendation three times since then (in 2021 and 2022), yet the Coast Guard has not acted,” it says.
During an emergency at sea, says NTSB, a mariner’s chance of survival decreases if search and rescue cannot quickly and accurately identify their location. Devices such as a PLB or SEND can accurately pinpoint a person’s location, with NTSB investigations finding that currently available personal locator beacons provide a location accuracy of about 300 feet and a nearly instant search and rescue notification when activated.
Vessel owners and operators should consider the following when selecting and implementing crew use of personal locator devices:
- Determine the best type of personal locator device for your crew. Some devices transmit via satellite, while others transmit on terrestrial frequencies. Not all devices notify the Coast Guard directly.
- Provide each crewmember a personal locator device and ensure they carry it. Devices can be worn in a zipped clothing pocket or a bag attached to a belt or attached to personal flotation devices.
- Register each crewmember’s device with the appropriate organization. Personal locator beacons must be registered through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, while SENDs and other similar devices should be registered through the manufacturer or operating company.
The safety alert notes six casualties that NTSB has investigated where the devices could have assisted, or did assist, rescuers in locating survivors, including the rescue of all aboard the fishing vessel Ambition after a crewmember’s use of a SEND prompted an immediate response when the vessel began to flood in the Bering Sea in 2016. It cites the El Faro tragedy as one in which the outcome could have been different had any of the crew who were able to evacuate had a personal locator device.
- Download the safety alert HERE
Categories: News, Safety and Security
