I would agree that a knife almost certainly was attached to the life raft, but in the panic of an emergency was likely not recognised or located in time.
Does anyone know what sort of knife was/should have been provided ?
The ones that I have seen dont look much like any common type of pocket knife or kitchen tool.
They consisted of a lightweight stainless steel blade with a rounded end, moulded into an orange handle with a lanyard attached.When stored, the blade was covered with a sheath in similar orange plastic, this being a fairly tight fit so as to be waterproof in storeage.
Those unfamiliar with the equipment would see an orange plastic cylinder, and might consider it to be some type of float or signalling device, not a knife.
These were sold in a yacht chandlers, dont know if those in life rafts on oil rigs are similar or not.