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Boaters forced to abandon ship could find a potentially deadly surprise awaiting
them – an inoperable liferaft. The U.S. Coast Guard has recently received
several reports of improperly serviced inflatable liferafts last inspected by
two facilities operating under the name “AMPAK” in Baton Rouge, LA, and Panama
City, FL. In at least one case the liferaft gas cylinder was empty (meaning it
would not have inflated when deployed), while others were marked as having been
subjected to required tests that were not conducted.
As the two facilities were not Coast Guard approved and have since closed, it’s
unknown just how many liferafts are affected. The Coast Guard strongly
recommends any inflatable liferafts last serviced by AMPAK facilities in Baton
Rouge or Panama City be taken to a Coast Guard approved servicing facility as
soon as possible. Questions or comments can be addressed to Mr. Kurt Heinz of
the Coast Guards Lifesaving and Fire Safety Standards Division at (202) 267-1444
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