BMA warns about lifejacket light battery failure onboard

The Bahamas Maritime Authority has issued a technical alert to bring to operators’ attention that deficiencies have been found in lifejacket lights manufactured by Alcares, type Jack A1-Alk and Jack ARH-Alk, distributed by Datrex. A number of ships have reported issues relating to these defective lifejacket lights.

The notice highlights the following:

• Examination of the lights revealed that the batteries had leaked, resulting in contamination on the main board and resulting in the lights being

  considered unfit for further use.

• It has also been reported that exposure to environmental conditions (humidity) may cause premature activation of the lights, resulting in

  draining of the batteries. The manufacturer has advised that leaking batteries mostly occur after the battery has discharged.

• The manufacturer has recognised the safety concerns and have changed the battery type – a new leak-proof battery design has been implemented to resolve this issue.
• Alcares will replace lights that have failed with the new battery type free of charge, unless it is apparent that the light has been used or abused.
• A letter outlining the issue and action taken by Alcares is provided at Annex 1.
• Guidance from Alcares on identifying whether or not environmental exposure has taken place are provided in Annex 2.