GMDSS deadlines and dates: batteries, hydrostats and what to check by calendar
Why some equipment changes by date
Emergency equipment most of life does not work, and it is impossible to check its condition.
The beacon battery never turned on in five years, but all this time slowly lost charge.
Therefore, for such elements, an expiration date is set, and it is more important than the tester's readings.
The inspector is looking at the date on the hull, not what you say is okay.
An expired item in the kit is a remark, even if it is still technically working.
What exactly lives on the calendar?
The battery of the emergency beacon changes according to the date specified by the manufacturer on the case.
The battery of the radar defendant and the handheld of the emergency station is the same, its term and its sticker.
The hydrostatic device that releases a buoy during flooding has a separate period and varies entirely.
The emergency battery handheld station GMDSS sealed and opened only in an accident, after which it is replaced.
The working rechargeable battery of the same station lives in cycles and changes in state.
What it looks like in practice
Dates for different elements do not coincide, and after a couple of years the calendar turns into an alternation.
A sensible move is to put all the dates in one table and put it where purchasing decisions are made.
Ordering a battery begins at least a month in advance: running positions in the warehouse are not always enough.
Some elements change only the service with the right to do so, and the entry in the form does the same.
Self-replacement, where it is not allowed, devalues both the detail and the document.
What's the inspector looking at?
The first thing to check the date on the element with the entry in marine documents.
Then check that the device itself is on the approved list and that its certificate is valid.
Separately look seals and the integrity of the body: opened buoy with a new sticker questions does not remove.
Check the installation site: the buoy should be released freely, without obstacles from above.
Forms and protocols are stored together, not in different folders from different people.
Replacement Calendar: How to Keep It
The table is made by devices, not by dates: each device has its own line and its immediate term.
There are three fields in the line: what is worth now, up to what date is suitable, when to order.
The “when to order” field is considered as a term minus a month, and it falls into the reminder.
Once a quarter, the table is checked against what is actually on the ship.
After each replacement, the line is updated immediately, rather than at the end of the memory navigation.
What is the risk of delay
The most obvious is the observation and the delay in the exit.
Less obvious is a buoy that won’t signal when it’s the only thing left.
The defendant's battery is dead, so the rescuers won't see you on their screen.
An expired hydrostat won't release a buoy when it floods, and everything else won't matter.
The cost of replacement is incomparable to the price of any of these outcomes, and that is the only argument that is needed.
