ISO E068 Lifebuoy with light and smoke Sign

E068: The Man-Overboard Marker Buoy

E068 indicates a lifebuoy fitted with both a self-igniting light and a self-activating smoke signal. Unlike the other buoys in the family, this combination is not primarily thrown to be held by the casualty; its job is to mark. Dropped at the moment someone goes over the side, it fixes the datum position with orange smoke by day and a light by night, giving the vessel a visible target while it turns and runs its recovery manoeuvre.

The distinction shapes everything about the station. E068 buoys are not spaced along rails for bystanders; they are installed where the officer of the watch can deploy one within seconds of the man-overboard alarm. A large ship travelling at service speed covers hundreds of metres per minute, so every second between the shout and the splash of the marker widens the search area the recovery team must eventually sweep.

Bridge-Wing Quick-Release Arrangements

SOLAS requires that a portion of a ship's lifebuoys carry combined light and smoke units and be capable of quick release from the navigating bridge, which is why these buoys live in dedicated holders on the bridge wings. Release is by lever or pin from inside or just outside the wheelhouse; the drop itself triggers the smoke float and light, so no one has to climb down, arm, or throw anything while the ship is still making way.

Under the LSA Code these buoys are deliberately heavier than ordinary ring buoys, giving them the mass to fall clear of the release mechanism and resist being blown across the sea surface, which would corrupt the drift datum the search depends on. The extra weight is one more reason E068 stations are not interchangeable with hand-thrown buoys: a heavy marker buoy is a poor thing to lob at a conscious swimmer, and the ordinary buoys along the rails remain the ones for direct casualty support.

Why Smoke and Light Together

Neither marker works in all conditions. Orange smoke is conspicuous against water in daylight but invisible at night; a light disappears into sun glitter by day but dominates the scene after dark. Fitting both means the same buoy marks the position regardless of when the person goes over. The LSA Code sets minimum durations for each, with the smoke signal emitting for at least 15 minutes and the light burning far longer, spanning the interval a Williamson or Scharnow turn needs to bring the ship back.

The buoy also serves the searchers as a drift reference: casualty and buoy are pushed by broadly similar wind and current, so lookouts and rescue boats orient their search around the smoke or light rather than an increasingly stale GPS position. Electronic MOB marks on the chart plotter record where the person entered the water; the buoy shows roughly where they are now, and experienced bridge teams use both, with the visual mark taking priority as the drift interval grows.

Signing, Drills, and Expiry

Post E068 at the bridge-wing holders themselves and use it in muster plans and fire-and-safety plans so relieving officers, pilots, and surveyors can identify the MOB stations instantly on an unfamiliar ship. Since deployment falls to the bridge team rather than to whoever is nearest, drills should include actually operating the release, not just pointing at it.

The smoke component is pyrotechnic and expires. Inspection routines must track the marked replacement dates for both smoke float and light battery, confirm the release gear moves freely and is not painted or lashed shut, and record the checks. An E068 station with time-expired smoke is a marker buoy that will silently fail its one task.

What is a lifebuoy with light and smoke used for?

It is the man-overboard marker buoy. Released instantly, usually from a bridge-wing holder, when someone falls overboard, it marks the position with a self-activating orange smoke signal by day and a self-igniting light by night. The vessel then manoeuvres back and searches around the buoy, which drifts roughly with the casualty.

Why are man-overboard buoys kept on the bridge wings?

Speed. The bridge team is on watch continuously and can drop the buoy within seconds of the alarm, before the ship travels far from the casualty. SOLAS therefore requires the light-and-smoke buoys to be releasable quickly from the navigating bridge, and the bridge wings give a clear vertical drop into the water on either side.

How long do the smoke and light on an MOB buoy last?

Under the IMO LSA Code the self-activating smoke signal must emit smoke for at least 15 minutes, and the self-igniting light must operate for at least two hours. In practice that covers the recovery manoeuvre and the initial search phase; if the search runs longer, the position is maintained by the rescue boat and navigation plotting.

What is the difference between E068 and E042?

E042 marks an ordinary lifebuoy that happens to carry a self-igniting light and is thrown by hand to support the casualty. E068 marks the heavier quick-release buoy with light plus smoke signal whose purpose is to mark the man-overboard position for the ship's recovery manoeuvre. They sit at different stations and are deployed by different people.