ISO E039 Davit-launched liferaft Sign

Meaning of ISO 7010 E039

E039 identifies a liferaft station equipped with a launching davit, where the raft is inflated at deck level, boarded dry, and lowered to the sea with its occupants inside. The pictogram on the green square shows the raft suspended from the davit arm — the visual cue that separates it from E038, whose raft sits on the water. Like its shipboard companions, the symbol entered ISO 7010 through the harmonization of IMO equipment location markings into the standard's E-series.

The method exists to solve one problem: freeboard. From the embarkation deck of a large passenger ship or a high-sided ferry, asking evacuees to descend a ladder to a raft bobbing far below — or to enter the water — would exclude exactly the people rafts must serve, so the davit brings controlled, dry boarding to the raft instead.

The Launching Sequence

Operation is more involved than an over-the-side launch, which is why E039 stations are crew-managed. The packed raft is hooked onto the davit fall, swung outboard or positioned at the rail, and inflated in place; bowsing lines hold the entrance snug against the deck edge while the assigned complement steps in. The loaded raft is then lowered, and an automatic or crew-operated release lets it go as it touches the water.

Lines under tension are a defining hazard of the method. If bowsing lines or the painter must be freed in a hurry — a jammed release, a rolling ship — the buoyant knife stationed nearby is the answer, which is why the E035 liferaft knife sign is a standard neighbor of E039 at these positions. One davit typically serves several rafts launched in succession.

Which Ships Use Davit-Launched Rafts

Passenger vessels are the core users: SOLAS pushes them toward survival craft arrangements that everyone on board, including children, the elderly, and persons with reduced mobility, can actually use, and davit-launched rafts supplement lifeboats to reach full abandonment capacity on many designs. Some cargo ships with high embarkation decks also fit a davit for the same reason, keeping throw-overboard cradles for the remainder of their raft complement.

Alternatives have narrowed the niche at the top end — large modern cruise ships often meet supplementary capacity with marine evacuation systems (E054 slides or E055 chutes) that move people faster — but davit-launched rafts remain a common mid-scale solution and are still what many ferry passengers would board in practice.

Signing the Station Correctly

Reserve E039 for positions with an actual launching appliance; every cradle-only position on the same deck takes E038 instead, even if the rafts themselves are identical models. The distinction is operational, and mislabeling would send a crew member hunting for davit controls that do not exist. Mark the davit position itself, the raft stowage feeding it, and the approach from the nearest assembly station with supplementary arrows.

Round out the station with its supporting cast: E035 at the knife bracket, E053 if an embarkation ladder backs up the davit as a secondary boarding route, and the raft capacity panels required at embarkation positions so crew can balance loading across successive launches. Directional versions of the symbol along the deck matter more here than at cradle positions, because evacuees assigned to a davit station may pass several E038 cradles on the way and must not stop at the wrong one.

What is a davit-launched liferaft?

A liferaft designed to be inflated at deck level on a launching davit, boarded dry by its full complement, and lowered into the sea before being released. It gives high-freeboard ships — especially passenger vessels — a way to get people into rafts without ladders, jumps, or water entry.

How is E039 different from the standard E038 liferaft sign?

E039 means a davit is part of the installation: inflation and boarding happen at deck level and the loaded raft is lowered. E038 means the canister is thrown overboard and the raft inflates on the water, where survivors board it. The pictograms differ accordingly — E039 shows the raft hanging from a davit arm.

Why is a knife kept at davit-launched liferaft stations?

Because the method depends on lines under load — the painter, bowsing lines holding the raft to the deck edge, and the davit fall connection. If a release jams or the ship's motion endangers the raft, those lines must be cut immediately, so a buoyant blunt-tipped knife is bracketed at the station and marked with the E035 sign.

Can one davit launch more than one liferaft?

Yes, that is the normal arrangement. Rafts stowed at the station are hooked on, inflated, loaded, lowered, and released one after another, with the davit fall recovered between launches. The station's signage and capacity panels help crew manage that cycle under pressure.