Lifeboat manufacturer Schat-Harding has reported the successful testing of the first of six of its FF1000S skid-launched freefall lifeboats, which have been strengthened beyond SOLAS requirements.
The tests include a freefall drop from skids from a height of 36 m and a vertical drop from a height of 47 m. The boats, for Statoil's Veslefrikk B and Kristin platforms in the North Sea, are being tested at Schat-Harding's Rosendal factory in western Norway.
The FF1000S (skid-launched) free fall boat is certified for a free fall height of 36 m. It is built for 63 persons and designed and tested according to IMO SOLAS LSA - Code MSC.48 (66) and MSC.81 (70) and certified under the European Marine Equipment Directive by Lloyd's Register.