Bulletin No.: 03/2004

PDF Version


RDIMS No.: 744540
Date (Y-M-D): 2004-04-20

 

Subject: Mustang Survival Ocean Commander Immersion Suits

This Ship Safety Bulletin is issued to inform owners and operators of vessels of the attached notice issued by Mustang Survival Corporation.

 

 

 

 

 

3810 Jacombs Road, Richmond, B.C. Canada V6V 1Y6
Tel: 604-270-8631, Fax: 604-270-0489
E-mail: mustang@mustangsurvival.com

THIS NOTICE PROVIDES IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR MUSTANG SURVIVAL OCEAN COMMANDER IMMERSION SUIT. PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT CAREFULLY AND FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDED INSTRUCTIONS.

The Mustang Survival Ocean Commander (model OC8001 and OC8001HR) immersion suit is unconventional in comparison to traditional neoprene immersion suits. It has been specifically designed to be the most protective - and yet at the same time, the most comfortable to wear - immersion suit available. One example of this is the wrist cuff design on the Ocean Commander.

Wrist cuffs play a critical role in establishing the protection offered by an immersion suit simply because they keep water out of the suit. Traditional wrist seals are often the source of leaks. However, a leak-free immersion suit goes a long way towards providing immersion suit wearers with the necessary level of hypothermia protection. Traditional wrist seals are also uncomfortable and less durable. The Ocean Commander therefore was designed to have wrist cuffs that are:

  • watertight,
  • durable,
  • donnable and doffable, (i.e. the wearer is able to be put on and take off the suit), and
  • comfortable to wear.

The Ocean Commander's neoprene wrist cuff was the resultant design.

Mustang Survival is aware of a variety of instances in which Ocean Commander owners have reported difficulty with, or been unable to accomplish, putting their hands through the wrist cuffs. Typically this is associated with individuals with large hands or wrists. Most of these instances have already been addressed. Nevertheless, for the safety of all concerned, it is important for all Ocean Commander owners to read this notice completely and to complete the steps outlined below.

Mustang Survival has developed a product enhancement that is Transport Canada approved. This enhancement is applicable to newly manufactured Ocean Commander immersion suits or as a retrofit to in-service OC8001 and OC8001HR suits. The enhancement is simple in concept; the wrist cuff is manufactured or modified to provide a larger wrist opening and the suit is then provided with a means to ensure that the larger opening does not compromise the important watertight qualities of the cuff. This is accomplished by incorporating an over-strap into the cuff's design. It is important to note that retrofitting of existing suits must be performed by Mustang Survival authorized and trained personnel.

Important steps to follow for all OC8001 and OC8001HR immersion suit owners/users:
Note: owners/users of any immersion suit are encouraged to train in the use of the suit and its features on a regular basis as part of overall marine emergency preparedness program.

  • remove the Ocean Commander from its carrying case
  • put the suit on and fully close the main entry zipper

If during this exercise the wrist cuff is too tight to permit donning or too loose to provide a watertight seal, then this suit may require modification by an authorized Mustang Survival repair facility.

Product owners should contact their Mustang Survival Ocean Commander dealer and advise them that they have a suit that may require retro-fitting. Alternatively, contact Mustang Survival Corp. directly at 1 800-661-6181.

Mustang Survival dealers receiving notification or actual suits requiring retro-fits should contact Mustang's customer service department to arrange this work at the nearest authorized repair facility.

Once a retro-fit has been authorized by Mustang Survival, there will be no charge to product owners or to Mustang Survival dealers to have the authorized retro-fit of existing products performed.

MUSTANG SURVIVAL CORP.

 

 

The following document is available for downloading or viewing:

 

 

Mustang Survival Ocean Commander Immersion Suits (53 KB) 

To access the Portable Document Format ( PDF ) version you must have a PDF reader installed. If you do not already have such a reader, there are numerous PDF readers available for free download or for purchase on the Internet:

Keywords:                                  Questions concerning this bulletin should be addressed to:

1. Immersion suit
AMSRE
John Murray
613-998-0604
Transport Canada
Marine Safety
Tower C, Place de Ville
11th Floor, 330 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N8
 
 

To add or change your address, contact us at: marinesafety@tc.gc.ca

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