Safety Day Oostende

Last Saturday, Nemad Maritime Safety organised a safety day in the port of Oostende. In collaboration with Wind & Watersport Vlaanderen and Soete Technical Services (STS), visitors were able to participate in a workshop and later in the afternoon various maritime safety products were tested in practice.

The workshop consisted of an extensive explanation of the use of a life jacket and the various activation mechanisms. There was also focus on the possibility of determining the location of a crew member in a Man Over Board situation by using Personal Locating Beacons (PLB’S). After the theoretical workshop, there was an opportunity for a practical simulation and visitors practiced activating life jackets.

The afternoon programme was a more active programme where visitors had the opportunity to carry out practical tests. For example, a life raft was launched and activated which the visitors had to climb into and of course the contents of the life raft and the periodic inspection cycle were also discussed. A life raft can be needed in the event of a capsize, but also in the event of a fire on board, which is why attention was also paid to the various types of fire extinguishers for different fire sources and practical exercises were conducted to extinguish fires. A small fire can quickly become a large fire if you do not have the right extinguishing equipment on board.

Finally, the necessary pyrotechnic articles were set off on the open sea and under professional guidance from STS. A life raft or grab bag only contains a limited number of signalling equipment. How do you safely fire a flare? And in which situation do you use a hand torch? And when is it best to use a smoke signal? These are examples of various topics that were discussed.

Do you have any questions and/or comments? Or would you like to attend a safety day yourself? Send a message and keep an eye on the Facebook page.