Lifeboat

A lifeboat or liferaft is a small rigid or inflatable boat carried aboard a ship for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster, with lifeboat drills required by law on larger commercial ships and inflatable liferafts commonly carried by recreational sailors. Ship launched lifeboats are lowered from davits on deck, are built to be hard to sink, and carry oars, flares, mirrors, first aid supplies and food and water for several days, while better equipped versions add a radio, engine, sail, heater and navigation equipment to support self rescue. The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and the International Life-Saving Appliance Code set requirements for the emergency equipment every lifeboat and liferaft on an international voyage must carry, and modern lifeboats also carry an Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon along with a radar reflector or search and rescue transponder.