The Markusnet should be located near all gangways and boat stations.

An article written by Petur Th. Petursson. Date: 2003/06/30

The use of a gangway, a pilot ladder and a transport boat at sea is always a risk for those involved. Lifeboat drill operations as well as use of man-overboard boats call for backup (second security) measures to avoid a man-overboard incident to become a serious matter for those involved.

The Markusnet versions MS.1, 2, 3 and 4 (depending on the length of lifting lines “B” to cover height above water), are a Lloyd’s Register approved mean of rescue to provide this backup security, as it can be deployed by one man manually anywhere along side of a vessel or a platform above water, and it is designed to enable two persons to lift a man-overboard casualty simultaneously up without a risk to them. It can also be used with a crane.

The Markusnet can also be used to lower a person (child or a woman) into water, lifeboat or rescue boat and also be a mean to climb down in case the lifeboats have been lowered. It can as such be the last resource one has to escape a high sided vessel in case of a fire disaster f. e.

The Markusnet has also proven to be an excellent mean to transfer shipwrecked people from a life-raft or a small floating object onto larger vessels.

The word “backup” or the phrase “second security” are used in professional rescue for extra security in case the rescuer has to go over his limit. It is the professional rescuers life insurance. Every professional seafarer should have such a security as in a rescue at sea one can not predict the situation and has always to expect the worst.