Water Weights, Inc. recently opened its newest office in Fife, Wash. The new office will service the company's customers in the
Pacific Northwest Region of the U.S. and Western Canada. The opening expands the company's North American operations to five divisions. Water Weights now has local services in California, Illinois, Georigia, Louisiana and Washington.
The company has also developed an improved lifeboat testing system to help operators conform with the new Amendments to Chapter III of SOLAS regulations. In addition to SOLAS, the USCG requires weight testing of the lifeboats during each inspection for certification and whenever the falls are turned end-for-end or renewed.
The new system allows for remote application and removal of the load, thereby improving safety. The weight is added to bring the lifeboat to full test load condition without the need for personnel being onboard. The Water Weights system allows for fast testing of lifesaving equipment without the requirement for the extensive manpower usually associated with testing using sandbags or solid weights.