When you’re planning for a nautical voyage, you need to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. No matter how thoroughly you plan ahead for contingencies, there’s always a chance that you might have to face your worst fears when you’re at the mercy of the seas.

In the event of an unexpected emergency, you and your crew might have to bail from the ship and rely on your lifeboats to survive out on the water. Lifeboats – though you should hope to never need to use them – are thus a key part of your nautical survival strategy and should be treated as such. This means dedicating time, effort, and resources to ensure your lifeboats are properly stocked, inspected, and resupplied so that they’re ready for use at a moment’s notice.

Here’s a list of some of the key equipment to include in your lifeboats in order to increase you and your crew’s chances of survival:

1. GMDSS (Survival craft radio)

A key system in ensuring nautical safety is the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). The GMDSS a SOLAS-mandated requirement for many ships around the world and includes sub-systems and components such as VHF radios, NAVTEX receivers, SARTs, and EPIRBs. While your ship should already have GMDSS equipment for safe communication and navigation at sea, it’s also a good idea to include portable GMDSS (Survival Craft Radio) in every lifeboat. These handheld devices are typically waterproof and are usually supplied with two batteries, a non-rechargeable primary battery and a rechargeable secondary battery. You can also consider having a handheld VHF marine radio to further enhance communication at sea.

2. Survival essentials

First-aid kits, compasses, Swiss Army Knives or multi-tools, freshwater, food rations, thermal blankets, and other survival essentials could mean the difference between life and death on land or out at sea. Each lifeboat should have their own set of survival essentials on hand along with a checklist to ensure everything is in place and accounted for.

Ensure the Safety of your Crew with Tecomart

As a radio communication supplier in South and Southeast Asia, Tecomart has a wide range of VHF marine radios and other marine safety essentials for sale. Our products are sourced from renowned brands such as Motorola, ICOM, Yaesu, Standard Horizon, and Simrad, so you can find what suits your needs best.

Having been in the communication and navigation fields since 1994, our catalogue of marine navigation equipment and marine communication equipment are carefully selected to meet the needs of sailors in the region. Get in touch for a quote, or check out our FAQs for more information on our products and services.