World-first Approval for VIKING LifeCraft Survival Craft
The Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) has officially approved the VIKING LifeCraft Survival Craft as a Novel Life-Saving Appliance, meeting the requirements for replacing conventional lifeboats on passenger ships and advancing progress toward greater safety in large-scale ship evacuation emergencies.
Following successful heavy weather trials in November last year, the Survival Craft component of VIKING Life-Saving Equipment’s unique hybrid lifeboat/liferaft solution, the VIKING LifeCraft System, has now received official approval from the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA).
The approval, awarded on March 8, 2019, is the culmination of a long development and approval process. But that’s not the real news. While the LifeCraft itself is a remarkable development in evacuation systems, the DMA approval marks the first time a truly ‘Novel’ Lifesaving Appliance (LSA) has been approved anywhere in the world.
World first
Prior to the VIKING LifeCraft Survival Craft approval, maritime safety products and systems that have achieved Novel Life-Saving Appliance approvals have been adaptations or variations of conventional life-saving appliances. The VIKING LifeCraft System, on the other hand, is an entirely novel and innovative concept.
The solution comprises two main elements: four inflatable VIKING LifeCraft survival craft, each with a capacity of 203 persons, giving 812 in total, and a fully self-contained stowage and launching appliance either placed on deck or built into the ship’s side.
With four independent electric engines at its corners, each Survival Craft is highly maneuverable. Its ability to rapidly turn 360 degrees on the spot, which is unmatched by conventional motor-propelled survival craft, is a critical feature for safely clearing a ship’s side in an emergency evacuation. This design is, however, just one of a long list of innovations that take the system far beyond the capabilities of existing lifeboats, marine evacuation systems or liferafts.
Contributing innovations
The Danish Maritime Authority Senior Ship Surveyor, Kasper Raunskov Rasmussen, sees the Survival Craft’s approval as solid proof that Danish-based maritime companies have innovative contributions to make across a wide range of aspects, not the least of which are safety and sustainability.
The final piece of the puzzle, slated for August 2019, is Novel Lifesaving Appliance (NLSA) approval for the chute portion of the VIKING LifeCraft System.