(Article from TradeWinds 26th June 2009)
Other manufacturers claim much-maligned hook system is now safe
AP Moller-Maersk is not the only company to take a fresh look at the lifeboat-safety issue. Established lifeboat-equipment manufacturers have upgraded the on-load release hooks to the extent that they claim they are now safe.
Schat-Harding chief executive Ove Roessland says the hook is still the way forward for lifeboat safety. Commenting on Maersk’s drop-in-ball design, he said: “Schat Harding welcomes any initiative that improves safety at sea, and the safety of lifeboats in particular.” “With respect to hooks, all the evidence is that properly designed on-load release hooks, when correctly maintained, are safe and fulfil the function they were designed for – to get seafarers and the boat safely away.