What should occupants do if the liferaft becomes overcrowded relative to its rated capacity following a multi-raft abandonment?

A. Where multiple rafts are deployed, tie them together with their painter lines if conditions allow, and redistribute occupants more evenly between rafts — a significantly overcrowded raft is less stable, has reduced freeboard (increasing water ingress risk), and depletes shared resources faster

B. Rafts should never be tied together under any circumstances, even if it would help balance numbers

C. Overcrowding has no practical effect on raft stability or safety, regardless of how far capacity is exceeded

D. Excess occupants should be left in the water near the raft rather than redistributed between rafts

A. The HRU is simply a decorative bracket with no functional release mechanism

B. The HRU only operates if manually armed by an officer before each voyage

C. The HRU automatically releases the liferaft from its cradle if the vessel sinks to a set depth (typically around 4 metres), allowing the raft to float free and inflate even if no one has manually launched it — a critical backup if the crew cannot reach the raft in time

D. The HRU prevents the liferaft from ever being launched manually, for safety reasons

A. Throw the raft container into the water first, then worry about the painter line afterwards if there is time

B. The painter line should be cut immediately after the raft inflates, to allow it to drift freely

C. Check the area below is clear, secure the painter line to a strong point on the vessel before releasing the raft, throw or lower the raft container into the water, then pull the painter line firmly to inflate it — never let go of the painter line until the raft is confirmed inflated and the line is needed to bring the raft alongside

D. Inflate the raft while it is still in its container on deck, then carry the inflated raft to the side