Comet is supporting ILAMA’s campaign to tighten regulations over replacement of time-expired items in commercial shipping liferafts.

Chemring Marine, Comet’s parent company, is a member of ILAMA (International Lifesaving Appliance Manufacturers’ Association). Through ILAMA and its new chairman Jim Booth, the company has been lobbying the International Maritime Organisation to ensure dated items, such as pyrotechnics, food, water and batteries, are replaced in extended service interval liferafts (30months) if out-of-date by the next service.

After a long and sustained campaign, the IMO Maritime Safety Committee has drafted this into the rules, which are being ratified.

Chemring Marine will also press for the same rules to be applied for annually serviced rafts, which could happen within the next two years.

Some service stations already operate similar standards and custom and practice suggests that others will start to follow.

Product manager, Keith Bradford (pictured) says, “This is good news for safety and our ultimate goal, which is to ensure that marine distress signals are always in date with maximum reliability in the event of a mariner using them to save lives.”