July 19, 2022
U.S. Coast Guard inspections of vessels and safety equipment are rarely welcomed by skippers and crew, especially in Bristol Bay as the fleet prepares for the largest salmon run in recorded history. But this year, sharp-eyed Coast Guard examiners discovered a problem with Imperial Immersion Suits that could mean the difference between life and death.
“Coast Guard examiners have discovered what appears to be an issue of glue delamination or lack of adhesion on recently manufactured Imperial immersion suits,” reads a July 1, 2022 Marine Safety Information Bulletin issued by the USCG’s Seventeeth District in Alaska. “The delamination/adhesion issue was noticed in the area where the zipper assembly meets the “face-piece” and again on the footpads.”
The discovery was made during routine inspections in Dillingham in late June. The immersion suits, formerly known as survival suits, are distributed by U.K.-based Survitec and made in Mexico. On June 28, the 17th Coast Guard District Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Office informed Survitec of the findings. “Shortly after, Survitec reported that they had found a similar issue in an Imperial immersion suit in their inventory that was from a different lot number than the ones initially identified in Alaska.,” the safety bulletin noted.
Scott Wilwert is the commercial fishing vessel safety program manager for the Coast Guard in Alaska. Wilwert told KMXT public radio in Kodiak, that the Coast Guard isn’t sure how widespread the issue is. The company told the Coast Guard they had seen suits in Canada with a similar defect, reported KMXT yesterday.
More suits in Alaska have been found with the same problem.
“I started to get a little feedback from some local Alaskan Coast Guard units who had taken it upon themselves to walk into some of the retail stores and vendors in their towns that they know to sell these products,” Wilwert told KMXT. All were Imperial suits manufactured in the last few years.
Wilwert says that Survitec is investigating the defect and may soon issue a “general service bulletin” that will outline the extent of the problem and remediation – potentially including a recall.
The Coast Guard Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance, Fishing Vessel Division (CG-CVC-3) and Lifesaving & Fire Safety Division (CG-ENG-4) at Coast Guard Headquarters have been notified as well. At this time, the extent and seriousness of the issue is undetermined the USCG says, as well as how many potential lot numbers of these suits may be affected.
The 17th Coast Guard District recommends that vendors, owners and examiners of Imperial immersion suits take a close look at these suits when conducting visual and tactile inspections and exercise caution until amplifying guidance on the use and/or disposition of these immersion suits can be obtained and distributed. Please contact D17 Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Coordinator Mr. Scott Wilwert at (907) 463-2810 Anthony.S.Wilwert@uscg.mil or LT Lauren Bloch (907) 463-2812 Lauren.E.Bloch@uscg.milwith any questions.
Coming Unglued: Imperial Survival Suits Show Potential Problems in U.S. and Canada