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Survival time in cold water, why the lifejacket counts
At ten degrees your ability to act is gone within a few minutes, long before survival time runs out.
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The figures make uncomfortable reading: at a water temperature of five degrees you have fifteen to thirty minutes, at ten degrees barely an hour. What counts, however, is not survival time but the ability to act, and in cold water that ends after a few minutes. Anyone not wearing a lifejacket by then goes under before the time is up.
The Baltic sits at ten degrees in May and twenty in August. The difference between going over the side in spring and doing the same at the height of summer is the difference between mortal danger and mere discomfort.
On the insurance side, the cover that steps in here is personal accident cover for those on board: it pays out for permanent disability and death regardless of who is at fault, for all authorised persons on board. Third-party liability only pays where someone is liable, so if someone falls overboard with no one else at fault, it pays nothing.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the ability to act run out before survival time does?
Because cold saps the muscles and takes away fine motor control. Once your hands can no longer grip, you cannot save yourself.
Does third-party liability pay if someone falls overboard?
Only where a third party is at fault. With no one to blame, the personal accident cover for those on board applies.
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