Commercial Boats Life Rafts in Australia
Cats: Business
Each country has its own regulations for the operation of commercial boats and ships but in Australia there can be some differences even between the various states. The capacity of a boat is iften determined by the stability and the vessel will need to undergo a stability test before being granted a commercial certificate. Often many of the rules and regulations are those specified in the USL code ( Universal Shipping Laws ) This is the closest thing to a world wide consensus on the regulations. Safety is often the major factor and in Australia like many other countries the rules for the carrying of passengers particularly in the tourist areas have been tightened in recent years.
Many boats operate in smooth or partially smooth water particularly in rivers, and harbours but in Queensland Australia the area between the Great Barrier Reef and the coast is in some areas considered to be partially smooth water. This is because the area is not subject to the massive sea swells generated in other areas because the swells are broken at the reef. In these areas hundreds tourist boats operate carrying countless thousands of passengers each year and the safety of these passengers is paramount. All boats are required to carry safety floats or a life raft . Because of the cost of servicing of inflatable life rafts many operators choose to carry carley floats as these require little or no servicing. Modern carley floats are manufactured in Australia by Karly Floats .com.au and these days they are made from fire retardant polyethylene and filled with closed cell foam. You can see them on the top of the wheel house on many ferry’s they are usually coloured with high visibility Orange or Yellow, Yellow is the Internationally recognised colour for safety as it has been established that when looking at the ocean from outer space the colour yellow is the most easily spotted