Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a positioning system for positioning a floatable 5 unit in relation to a vessel during evacuation from an evacuation area of the vessel into the floatable unit. Furthermore, the invention relates to an evacuation system for evacuating persons from a vessel at sea and a vessel having one or more evacuation system(s).

10 Background Art

Today, when the liferafts have been launched into the water from a vessel, they are moored to the vessel side via turning points placed on the vessel side for controlling and positioning the liferaft in relation to the vessel for facilitating 15 evacuation of persons from the vessel into the liferaft. However, these turning points sometimes damage the inflatable liferaft when it moves in the water. Furthermore, launching and mooring systems have to be tailor-made to match the specific vessel requirements, i.e. the size of the vessel, number of persons to be evacuated, deployment arrangement.

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Furthermore, as liferafts increase in size, greater forces are required to position the liferaft in relation to the vessel.

Summary of the Invention

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It is an object of the present invention to wholly or partly overcome the above disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. More specifically, it is an object to provide an improved positioning system which facilitates positioning of a floatable unit in relation to a vessel during evacuation.

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The above objects, together with numerous other objects, advantages, and features, which will become evident from the below description, are accomplished by a solution in accordance with the present invention by a positioning system for positioning a floatable unit in relation to a vessel during evacuation from an 35 evacuation area of the vessel into the floatable unit, the system comprising : - a longitudinal flexible first floating element extending between a first and a second end, the first floating element having a first side facing the vessel and a second side facing the floatable unit,

- at least a first bowsing part arranged at the first end of the first floating element, and

- at least a first bowsing line extending from the first bowsing part to a bowsing point in the evacuation area.

By the positioning system according to the invention, a flexible system is obtained which can easily be installed on existing and new vessels without it being necessary to mount and install additional equipment, for instance guide/turning points arranged at the vessel side for assisting in positioning a floatable unit in relation to the vessel side. Hereby, it is furthermore obtained that the floatable units are not damaged by these guide/turning points when the floatable unit is slammed against the vessel side due to the weather/sea conditions.

It is also an advantage that contact to the vessel is maintained at the evacuation area of the vessel as this facilitates handling of the positioning system and thereby an evacuation system during an evacuation.

The present positioning system may be used to position one or more floatable units independently of each other. A further advantage is that the positioning system can easily be adapted to different sizes of floatable units as well as different deployment heights.

The term "at the end" is, in this context, to be construed as both at the actual end and in the vicinity of the ends, i.e. at a distance from the end, for instance on the outer side of the floating element.

Furthermore, a second bowsing part may be arranged at the second end of the floating element and a second bowsing line may extend from the second bowsing part to the bowsing point in the evacuation area.

In addition, the one of the ends of the first floating element may be the first side facing the vessel. In an embodiment, the first floating element may be inflatable. Advantageously, the first floating element is divided into a plurality of chambers so that a higher pressure may be applied to the inflated first floating element before it bursts. Also, the result of the first floating element comprising a plurality of chambers is that the inflated structure still has some rigidity even though one of the chambers is leaking or burst.

Furthermore, the first floating element may be made of a flexible material having buoyancy properties. By a material having buoyancy properties is meant that the material has positive buoyancy.

The first floating element may comprise a plurality of longitudinal floating parts being mutually connected. Hereby, it is obtained that the first floating element has a high stiffness. Furthermore, when the first floating element is inflatable, less inflating gas has to be used for inflating the first floating element than if it was one large chamber.

The plurality of the longitudinal floating parts may extend in the entire length of the first floating element, or they may be divided into several parts which are arranged in succession of each other.

The longitudinal floating parts may be connected by zips, groove/flange connections, he/she connections or the like, or they may be glued or welded together.

Moreover, the first floating element may be adapted to absorb any impact between the vessel and the floatable unit.

Additionally, the first floating element may be cylinder-shaped and have a length of between 10 and 50 meters and a diameter of between 0.1 and 5.0 meters, preferably between 0.5 and 2.0 meters.

Furthermore, the first floating element may be substantially rectangular or square.

Also, the bowsing parts may be positioned on the first side of the first floating element. The positioning system as described above may further comprise attachment parts arranged on the second side of the first floating element for positioning one or more floatable units in relation to the first floating element. In an embodiment, the bowsing parts and/or the attachment parts may be shell pieces.

The parts/shell pieces may be made of a rigid or semi-rigid material, such as metal, GPR, etc.

Moreover, additional parts may be arranged in the centre of the first floating element on both sides of the first floating element.

In another embodiment, the floating element may comprise ballast means in the form of water pockets/bags.

The ballast means may be arranged at the ends of the floating element.

In yet another embodiment, the floatable unit may be an inflatable liferaft, an inflatable floatable unit, a hybrid boat, a man-over-board boat, a dinghy, or the like.

Moreover, two or more floatable units may be releasably connected to each other and to the floating element.

In addition, the floatable unit may comprise shells on its outer sides.

In an embodiment, the shells may comprise releasable attachments which are adapted to engage the attachment parts of the floating unit and/or a corresponding attachment arranged at another floatable unit.

Furthermore, a wire/cable/line tensioner or an elastic device may be arranged in connection with the bowsing lines, either on the vessel or on the first floating element.

Moreover, one or more additional bowsing line(s) may be attached on an opposite side of the side facing the first floating element of the floatable unit and extend(s) from the floatable unit to the evacuation area of the vessel so that the floatable unit may be held/maintained in a position near the vessel side to facilitate evacuation via chutes or slides. Also, the deployment lines, used during the deployment of the positioning system and of the floatable units from the vessel into the water, may, after deployment, be the bowsing lines for the floatable units.

In the circumstance, where at least two floatable units are arranged next to each other, the bowsing line may be arranged at the outermost floatable unit, seen from the vessel, and function as the primary bowsing line for both floatable units, and via a bridle to the innermost floatable unit, so that when the outermost floatable unit are to sail away, the bowsing line is released and the bowsing line on the innermost floatable unit is now the primary bowsing line.

The fact is that as the bowsing lines connected to the floatable units are being tensioned so that a force extends inclined up against the evacuation area on the vessel, and the weight of the floatable units together with their ballast create a vertical, downwards force, a substantially horizontal force will be created. This horizontal force is assisting in positioning the floatable units along the vessel side, since they are pulled against the first floating element.

Additionally, the floating element, the floatable units and the parts may be flexibly connected to each other to withstand movements caused by the waves or wind.

The floating element may function as a longitudinal frame to which the floatable units may be connected during evacuation, thereby securing that the floatable units are positioned along the floating element, whereby the movements along and/or transverse to the vessel may be controlled.

Furthermore, by having the first floating element between the vessel and the floatable units, it is obtained that a chute, for instance, may be arranged at a distance from the vessel side, which may provide more comfort for the persons to be evacuated, since the risk for the chute slamming against the vessel side is minimised. Furthermore, the bowsing lines may extend incliningly from the floating element up to vessel.

Moreover, the positioning system may comprise one or more additional floating elements arranged perpendicularly and/or parallel to the first floating element.

Also, the positioning system may be adapted to be stored in a container on board the vessel. Advantageously, the positioning system is stored in the same container as the floatable unit and chute or slide, so that the entire evacuation system may be deployed simultaneously.

The invention furthermore relates to an evacuation system for evacuating persons from a vessel at sea, comprising the positioning system comprising any of the above-mentioned technical features.

In an embodiment, the evacuation system may comprise one or more floatable units, a deployment arrangement, and one or more chutes or slides.

Moreover, the landing areas for the evacuated persons entering the floatable units via either the chute or the slide may be arranged in the floatable units.

Finally, the invention relates to a vessel having one or more evacuation system(s). Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention and its many advantages will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, which for the purpose of illustration show some non-limiting embodiments and in which

Fig. 1 shows a positioning system according to the invention, wherein floatable units are arranged,

Fig. 2 shows the position system of Fig. 1 in a front view,

Fig. 3 shows a floating element of the positioning system bowsed to the vessel, Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view of a part of the floating element and a floatable unit,

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged view of a bowsing part and an attachment part connected to floating element,

Fig. 6 shows an enlarged exploded view where the floating element, the attachment part and the floatable unit having a shell are separated, Fig. 7 shows an embodiment where four floatable units are connected to each other and two of the four floatable units are attached to the floating element,

Figs. 8a to 8g show a schematic view of a bowsing sequence when a large wave passes along the vessel,

Figs. 9a to 9c show different embodiments of the positioning system seen from above,

Fig. 10 shows, in a top view, another embodiment of the position system in the same manner as shown in Fig. 7,

Figs. 11a to l ib show, in a side view, bowsing of two floatable units to the vessel side and one floatable unit to the vessel side, respectively, Fig. 12 shows, in a perspective view, an embodiment of the floating element, and

Fig. 13 shows the floating element of Fig. 12 in a cross-sectional view.

All the figures are highly schematic and not necessarily to scale, and they show only those parts which are necessary in order to elucidate the invention, other parts being omitted or merely suggested.

Detailed description of the invention Fig. 1 shows four floatable units 1 arranged on a side 2 of a vessel 3. The floatable units 1 are positioned in relation to the vessel 3 by means of a positioning system 4 according to the present invention. The positioning system 4 comprises a longitudinal flexible first floating element 5 extending between a first 6 and a second 7 end, the floating element 5 having a first side 8 facing the vessel 3 and a second side 9 facing the floatable unit 1. The positioning system 4 furthermore comprises a first bowsing part 10 arranged at the first end 6 of the floating element 4 and a second bowsing part 11 arranged at the second end 7 of the floating element 4. In addition, the system comprises a first bowsing line 12 extending from the first bowsing part 10 to a bowsing point 14 in an evacuation area 15 arranged on the vessel 3, and a second bowsing line 13 extending from the second bowsing part 11 to the bowsing point 14 in the evacuation area 15. At the bowsing point 14, a wire/cable/line tensioner or an elastic device (not shown) may be arranged in connection with the bowsing lines, either on the vessel or on the first floating element.

In this embodiment, the positioning system 4 also comprises an additional bowsing line 16 which, in this embodiment, is attached on an opposite side 17 of the side 18 facing the first floating element 5 of the floatable unit 1 and extends from the floatable unit 1 to the bowsing point 14 in the evacuation area 15 of the vessel 3. In this way, the floatable units 1 may be held and maintained in a position near the vessel side 2 to facilitate evacuation, for instance via chutes or slides.

Fig. 2 shows the positioning system 4 of Fig. 1, substantially in a front view. The positioning system 4 is part of an evacuation system 19 for evacuating persons from a vessel 3 at sea into one or more floatable units 1. In this embodiment, the evacuation system 19 also comprises two chutes 20 for leading and assisting the persons being evacuated from the deck of the vessel, i.e. the evacuation area, to the floatable units 1. In other embodiments of the evacuation system, several chutes, for instance 3 or 4, may be used. In another not shown embodiment, the evacuation of persons from the vessel to the floatable unit may be performed by means of one or more slides.

Furthermore, the floatable units 1 may be arranged with landing areas (not shown) for the evacuated persons entering the floatable units via either the chute or the slide. In this embodiment, a container 21 is arranged in the evacuation area 15 of the vessel 3. This container 21 may be adapted to store the evacuation system 19 in a deflated stage during normal operation of the vessel, i.e. when evacuation is not necessary. Furthermore, the container 21 may store the positioning system 4 during normal operation of the vessel. The positioning system 4 may be deployed together with and at the same time as the evacuation system 19 during an evacuation situation.

Fig. 3 shows the positioning system 4. The floatable element 5 is, in this embodiment, an inflatable cylinder-formed tube. In one embodiment, the floating element 5 has a length of between 10 and 50 meters and a diameter of between 0.5 and 2 meters. Furthermore, the floating element 5 may, due to the inflatable effect, be adapted to absorb any impact between the vessel and the floatable unit during the evacuation situation, thereby minimising the risk of damaging the floatable units 1 and reducing any sudden movements (or accelerations) of the floatable unit caused by the impact which may cause the persons present in the floatable units to fall. In other not shown embodiments, the floating element may have a square cross-section, an elliptically shaped cross-section, or the like. In another not shown embodiment, the floating element may be made of a flexible material having buoyancy properties.

Furthermore, the floating element 5 comprises ballast means 22 in the form of water pockets/bags for stabilising the floating element. These ballast means 22 are arranged at the ends of the floating element.

Fig. 3 shows the bowsing parts 10, 11 positioned on the first side 8 of the floating element 5. Furthermore, attachment parts 23, 24 are arranged on the second side 9 of the floating element 5 to assist in positioning one or more floatable units (not shown) in relation to the floating element 5. Moreover, additional bowsing parts 25 and attachment parts 26 may be arranged along the longitudinal extension of the floating element 5 to assist in protecting the floating element against sharp elements, either at the vessel side or at the floatable unit, and to assist in positioning the floatable units, especially if two or more floatable units are bowsed end to end along the floating element 5. Fig. 4 shows the first end 6 of the floating element 5. It is easily deduced from Fig. 4 that the floatable unit 1 is connected to the floating element 5 via the attachment parts 23, 24, which indeed also assists in positioning the floatable unit 1.

Moreover, the bowsing parts 10 and/or the attachment parts 23 as shown in Fig. 5 may be shell pieces. The bowsing parts and attachment parts extend upwards along the first and second sides of the floating element, thereby protecting the floating element against impacts from either the vessel side or the floatable unit. The parts/shell pieces may be made of a rigid or semi-rigid material, such as metal, GPR, or the like.

Fig. 6 shows the floatable unit 1 comprising shells 27 on its outer sides, in Fig. 6 shown near a corner of the floatable unit 1. The shells 27 comprise releasable attachments (not shown) which are adapted to engage the attachment parts 23 of the floating element 5 (broken away from the attachment part 23 in Fig. 6) and/or a corresponding attachment (not shown) arranged on another floatable unit (not shown). Fig. 7 shows four floatable units 1 arranged in a first row 28 having two floatable units and a second row 29 also having two floatable units, wherein the first row is connected with the floating element 5. The floatable units are releasably connected to each other and to the floating element so that they may be released and either sail away themselves or be towed away.

Furthermore, the element, the floatable units and the parts may be flexibly connected to each other to withstand movements caused by the waves or wind.

Also, the floating element may function as a longitudinal frame to which the floatable units may be connected during evacuation, thereby securing that the floatable units are positioned along the floating element and hence allowing control of the movements along and/or transverse to the vessel.

The vessel may be a passenger ship, a cruise ship, a liner, a cargo handling ship, a ro-ro ship, a container ship, a pleasure yacht, a platform, a barge, an offshore installation, or the like. Preferably, the vessel has either many crew members and/or many passengers. Furthermore, the vessel may have one or more evacuation system(s) arranged on the vessel for assisting in a potential evacuation of persons from the vessel.

Figs. 8a to 8g show a sequence of the positioning system handling and positioning the floatable units 1 while a large wave passes the vessel. In Fig. 8a, there is tension in both bowsing lines 12, 13. In Fig. 8b, the bowsing line 13 is slack, and the bowsing line 12 starts releasing due to the large force. This is continued in Fig. 8c where the bowsing line 12 reaches its extreme point. Subsequently, the bowsing line 12 is tightened, which is shown in Fig. 8d. In Fig. 8e, there is tension in both bowsing lines 12, 13 again, and in Fig. 8f, the bowsing line 12 is slack and the bowsing line 13 starts releasing due to the large force. This is continued until the bowsing line 13 reaches its extreme point. Subsequently, the bowsing line 13 is tightened until the floatable units 1 reach their position in Fig. 8g, whereupon the sequence is repeated, starting from Fig. 8a.

Figs. 9a to 9c show top views of different embodiments of the positioning system in use. Fig. 9a shows the embodiment as described above with the first floating unit arranged along the vessel side and the four floatable units 1 positioned via the positioning system.

Fig. 9b shows another embodiment of the positioning system, wherein the floating element 5 extends perpendicularly from the vessel side and outwards. In this embodiment, the second end 7 of the first floating element 5 is the first side facing the vessel. Furthermore, the one or more bowsing lines are attached to the first end of the floating element 5 and extend from there up to the bowsing point at the vessel. In another embodiment, an additional bowsing line may be attached at the second end of the floating element.

Fig. 9c shows yet another embodiment of the positioning system, wherein a first floating element 5 is arranged along the vessel side 2. A second floating element 35 is arranged perpendicularly to the first floating element and extends outwards away from the first floating element 5, thus separating the four floatable units 1. In this embodiment, a third bowsing line 16 is arranged at the end of the second floating element which is opposite to the first floating element 5. Fig. 10 shows, in the same manner as in Fig. 7, four floatable units 1 arranged in a first row 28 having two floatable units and a second row 29 also having two floatable units, wherein the first row is connected with the floating element 5. Furthermore, a first bowsing line 16 is connected to one of the floatable units 1 in the second row 29, and a second bowsing line 40 is connected to the other floatable unit 1 in the second row 29. The first and second bowsing lines 16, 40 each have a bridle 41 which are connected to the floatable units 1 of the first row 28. These first and second bowsing lines 16, 40 may, during the deployment of the positioning system and the floatable units from the vessel into the water, be used as deployment lines.

Figs. 11a to l ib show, in a side view, bowsing of two floatable units 1 to the vessel side 2 and one floatable unit 1 to the vessel side 2, respectively. In Fig. 11a, the bowsing line 16 is connected to the outermost floatable unit 1 and secures bowsing of both floatable units. The bowsing line 16 is also connected to the innermost floatable unit 1 via bridle 41 which is slack since there is no tension on the bridle 41. In Fig. l ib, the outermost floatable units have sailed or been towed away, and the bowsing line 16 is then being tensioned again so that the bridle 41 is tensioned up and thereby now provide bowsing of the remaining floatable unit 1.

Fig. 12 shows, in a perspective view, an embodiment of the floating element 5. In this embodiment, the floating element 5 comprises a plurality of longitudinal floating parts 45 extending along the length of the floating element 5. In this embodiment, the floating element 5 comprises 9 longitudinal floating parts 45, as shown in the cross-sectional view in Fig. 13. The longitudinal floating parts 45 are arranged with three parts in three rows, thereby providing a substantially rectangular shape of the floating element 5.

Also, in this embodiment, the longitudinal floating parts 45 are divided in the middle M of the first floating element 5. The longitudinal floating parts may be divided for facilitating manufacturing of the longitudinal floating parts. Similarly, handling of the first floating element 5 during testing and packing is facilitated since it is easier to handle two smaller parts than one big. In other embodiments, the longitudinal floating parts may be throughgoing in the entire length of the floating element 5.

The floating element 5 also comprises attachments parts 23, 24, 26 arranged at the ends of the floating element 5 as well as in the middle M of the floating element 5. Furthermore, ballast means 22 are arranged at each end of the floating element 5.

Fig. 13 shows a cross-sectional view of the floating element 5 of Fig. 12. The longitudinal floating parts are mutually connected to each other for providing a stiff structure. The longitudinal floating parts 45 may for instance be glued or welded together, or they may be releasably connected by using connection means 50 such as zips, groove/flange connections, he/she connections or the like. Especially connection of the longitudinal floating parts 45 by means of zips have proved expedient.

In fact, the attachment parts 23, 24, 26, bowsing parts, and/or ballast means may be connected to the floating element 5 by the means of zips. The shown embodiment of the floating element 5 in Fig. 13 has 9 longitudinal floating parts. In other not shown embodiments it may comprise a different number of longitudinal floating parts, such as for instance 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, etc. Obviously, the chosen number of longitudinal floating parts may alter the cross- sectional shape of the floating element to for instance a triangle, trapezium, square, or the like.

Although the invention has been described in the above in connection with preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be evident for a person skilled in the art that several modifications are conceivable without departing from the invention as defined by the following claims.