Henriksen Hooks Chosen for New BC Ferries Launch Safety System
The Henriksen HLH 3500 rescue boat and liferaft hook has become a key element of a new fall protection system invented by BC Ferries, the Descent Control System (DCS), which is now installed across its fleet of 38 ships.
As launching boats at sea is a high-risk activity, BC Ferries embarked upon a two-year development program for its DCS. Now, whenever BC Ferries rescue crews board their boats, they will each clip onto a webbing line that is controlled by an auto belay unit. As the boat descends to sea level the auto belay units pay out the crews’ lines until the boat is floating and the Henriksen on and off-load hook automatically disconnects it from the fall line.
As long as the descent is uneventful, the crew members can then unclip from their auto belay and fasten their lines onto a wire loop adjacent to the Henriksen hook. This leaves them free to begin their mission while being able to clip back onto their belay when they return. Should something go wrong during a descent or ascent which causes the boat to fall away, the crew members would be safely lowered to the water by their auto belay.
These units are manufactured in the USA by Head Rush Technology and feature reliable magnetic braking. They are widely used in rock climbing gyms and are able to be employed in the DCS without modification.
"The idea initially came from our kids going to birthday parties which had a climbing wall. The fall protection system was so easy to use that kids could jump from height and land quite safely on the ground. This same system was being used on climbing walls by cruise ships in a marine environment," said Capt Jan Brockhausen, Director of fleet technology and human performance for BC Ferries. "After a significant amount of testing and risk assessment, we landed on a design made entirely through off-the-shelf parts readily available in the market, based on these climbing wall belaying units. This is now all packaged together and approved by Higginson Engineering for use as a fall protection system which meets the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations in British Columbia.”
The impetus for this major change to BC Ferries’ ships was initiated by new SOLAS regulations that require hooks to be capable of release in a limited on-load or off-load condition. A change in the hooks proved necessary as the Palfinger hooks that were used previously are no longer in production. After detailed testing, the Henriksen HLH 3500 kg hook proved ideal and the order was placed via Vestdavit, Henriksen’s representative in Canada.
