Evacuation Systems News

In the commercial maritime and offshore industries, where worker safety and competency are crucial, effective training practices are an absolute must. While hands-on, in-the-field learning will always be a vital component of any mariner’s training, marine simulation has become a welcome enhancement to the education process. And in some cases, it’s seen as a safer alternative to traditional survival craft and rescue boat training.A leader in this space is Virtual Marine, based in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Danish maritime safety solutions company Viking Life-Saving Equipment has acquired rights to manufacture and supply Undertun marine evacuation systems (MES).The Viking acquisition has been agreed with Sverre Undertun, whose Norway-based company offers solutions which include its well-known Undertun ship gangways.The solution is suitable for the small ferry market due to its easy installation and use.Catering for up to 150 persons, Undertun MES are especially convenient when installation heights and crew numbers are low…

The first large cruise ship ever to be built in China has been delivered, potentially leading the way for a new market player to rise within the global cruise shipbuilding industry.The 5,246-passenger Adora Magic City, built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s (CSSC) Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) based on Fincantieri' Vista-class design, will commence its maiden voyage from Shanghai in January 2024, operated by Asian cruise line Adora Cruises.The Chinese-built ship will service the domestic market with four-to-five day sailings…

A maritime industry safety group is calling for the total reinvention of lifeboats on board cargo vessels amid frequent injuries among seafarers.“Lifeboats are an essential part of crew safety onboard every vessel, but seafarers are way too often getting injured when launching the lifeboat,” the Container Ship Safety Forum e.V. (CSSF) said. “Over the years, many seafarers have been injured – some of them fatally – while launching the lifeboat during evacuations or evacuation drills.

Maritime survival equipment specialist Survitec has completed the acquisition of Hansen Protection, a provider of personal protective equipment. Ron Krisanda, Executive Chairman at Survitec, commented: "The addition of Hansen Protection, and its leading portfolio in personal protective equipment, protective rainwear, and technical textile solutions, fits perfectly within Survitec. "Our acquisition strategy is intended to broaden and deepen our offering and enhance our ability to service customers and this transaction does just that.

Martyn Thomas is the Chief of Staff at Stream Marine Training Ltd (SMT Ltd.) following many years working for both global training providers and cruise companies. SMT is a maritime skills and technology business providing fire-fighting, sea survival, survival craft and HSE training to the global maritime, oil and gas, renewables and construction industries.Thomas works out of SMT’s head office in Glasgow where SMT trains the majority of its theoretical based courses, including Alternative Fuels…

As the cruise industry continues to prosper, so too does Survitec, a specialist in marine evacuation systems (MES). Survitec has a history of more than 160 years, with 2020 marking the centenary since RFD, now part of Survitec, was founded.The story of RFD’s technology dates back to 1920 with the introduction of an aircraft flotation product, essentially an inflatable ring, to prevent planes sinking when ditched. This technology quickly evolved to become dual purpose also providing a means to rescue aircrew in an emergency.As technologies and methodologies became more sophisticated…

As domestic traffic from coast-to-coast continues to worsen, ferry operators are seeing a steady growth in passenger demand. As passenger demand grows, so does the demand for efficiency and hybrid technology to be incorporated into fleets. But what innovations support a fleet’s number one priority – safety? Will efficiency and the latest green technologies support these critically important vessels in an emergency situation? Is the crew aware of how much time they have to evacuate all passengers?Traditional ferry evacuation systems require passengers to be loaded onto lifeboats on deck…

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…

Survitec opened a new service and distribution hub in Singapore.The complex in Singapore’s Sembawang district covers a 7,153 cu. m. area, of which 1308 cu. m. is outdoors. With more than 200 personnel, it is Survitec’s largest service and distribution center globally, housing three distinct business units: WH Brennan & Co Pte Ltd, Survitec Safety Solutions Pte Ltd and Survitec Fire Solutions Pte Ltd.The Survitec products and services supplied by the Singapore facility include…

British manufacturer of  marine safety and survival equipments Survitec has received DNV GL Z-17 certification as a class-approved service provider for all DNV-GL classed vessels operating various brands of safety and survival equipment, including lifeboats, liferafts, marine evacuation systems (MES) and fire-fighting equipment and breathing apparatus.“The certification means that all Survitec sites carrying out work on lifeboats, fire-fighting equipment, SCBA and LSA to ships and mobile offshore units (MOU) to SOLAS standards are included in the Z-17 approval,” said Mats Hestmann, Group Quality, Health and Safety Manager, Survitec.“Survitec is also approved to carry out class-approved annual inspections services…

Viking's new LifeCraft system, a hybrid system intended to replace lifeboats/liferafts, was recently put to the test and passed some very demanding conditions.Developed over the last 10 years by VIKING Life-Saving Equipment the new evacuation system unites the advantages of modern lifeboats – such as self-propelled maneuverability – with the flexibility, comfort and smaller footprint of today’s liferafts combined with marine evacuation systems.The solution comprises two main elements: four inflatable VIKING LifeCraft survival crafts each with a capacity of 203 persons…

U.K.-based offshore drilling company Stena Drilling has placed a significant part of its safety equipment and servicing management under a VIKING Offshore Safety Agreement.In early 2018, an extensive review done by VIKING Life-Saving Equipment for its long-time customer revealed the potential for major cost and administration savings in placing much of the company’s safety equipment sourcing and administration under a VIKING Offshore Safety Agreement (OSA), Stena Drilling welcomed the input and signed up.

It’s been a full year since the International Maritime Organization (IMO) launched the Polar Code to enhance the protection of seafarers and the environment in Arctic and Antarctic regions. As ship owners and operators now work to ensure compliance, Viking Life-Saving Equipment says it stands ready to throw them a lifeline. The global provider offers a complete range of safety solutions for passenger and cargo vessels operating under the Polar Code. “Like the Poles themselves, Polar safety is uncharted territory to many operators.

A new generation fast ferry has left Tasmania on her delivery voyage to Denmark via the Panama Canal. The Express 3 is a 109 meter long high speed vehicle/passenger ferry from Australian shipbuilder Incat Tasmania for Danish operator Molslinjen, becoming the fourth Hobart-built catamaran in the company’s current fleet. An entirely new generation fast ferry, the 109 meter wave piercing catamaran Express 3 has evolved from Incat’s well proven 112 meter catamaran range which first entered commercial service in mid-2007. Incat’s Tim Burnell commented, “The design brief was simple.

VIKING has chosen Seatrade Cruise Global in Fort Lauderdale to showcase a host of new safety solutions and servicing concepts. Marine and offshore safety equipment provider VIKING Life-Saving Equipment (VIKING) has a trio of new products in store for ship owners and operators attending Seatrade Cruise Global. The flagship among these is the VIKING LifeCraft hybrid evacuation and survival craft system. Currently undergoing a full-scale test program, the official launch of this new system is just around the corner.

With recent type approval of an 81-meter-high evacuation system, VIKING has answered the needs of offshore fixed and jack-up rigs to handle extreme heights. Leading maritime safety equipment and servicing manufacturer VIKING Life-Saving Equipment A/S has received type approval from Lloyd’s Register for its new offshore evacuation chute system, certified to operate at an unprecedented evacuation height of 81 meters to sea level. “The system’s certified evacuation capacity is 146 people in just 10 minutes, comfortably beating the threshold required by maritime authorities, even from such an extreme height,” says Kristian Ellertsen, Norway-based Offshore Technical Manager for the company.

Coastal vessel operators trying to come to terms with upgraded US Coast Guard regulations for survival craft have been helped along the way by VIKING at the annual Passenger Vessel Association and U.S. Coast Guard Industry Day in Miami. Marine safety equipment manufacturer and servicing provider VIKING Life-Saving Equipment recently participated in an event at the annual Passenger Vessel Association and U.S. Coast Guard Industry Day in Miami. The company had been invited to the event by John Groundwater, Executive Director of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA), to provide hands-on support for the upcoming life float replacement task faced by coastal operators in response to new USCG regulations slated to come into force on Feb. 26, 2016.

With just a few months to go, VIKING has all hands on deck to ensure coastal vessel operators don’t risk their ability to sail under the US Coast Guard’s upgraded coastal vessel safety regulations. Marine safety equipment manufacturer and servicing provider VIKING Life-Saving Equipment A/S says it’s worried that commercial vessels operating in North American coastal waters and waterways simply won’t be able to sail when new USCG safety regulations come into force on 26 February 2016. The company has released evacuation equipment packages that ensure vessel operators can reliably comply with the new regulations and it has set up a dedicated toll free 1-855 helpline number to assist them…

A record-breaking offshore evacuation system is one of several highlights to be presented at the stand of leading marine and fire safety equipment and service provider VIKING Life-Saving Equipment (VIKING) at OTC 2015 in Houston, Texas. With rig sizes increasing, and evacuation heights exceeding what is possible with enclosed davits and lifeboats, chute-based evacuation solutions have become even more important. To meet these next-level requirements, VIKING has developed a new evacuation chute system, recently tested in the North Sea aboard a Maersk Oil rig but destined for a super-sized Noble Drilling jack-up rig being constructed in Singapore.

Survival Craft Inspectorate (SCI), a global provider of emergency marine evacuation systems, has selected a Swedish company to drive further growth in Scandinavia. Scanunit has agreed to a partnership with SCI for sales and installation rights of Safelaunch lifeboat release and retrieval systems (LRRS), which comply with the latest Solas MSC.1 / Circ 1392 guidelines. SCI said Scanunit’s success in Denmark and Sweden will complement its existing office in Norway. SCI, which has 14 operations of its own worldwide…

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment’s product developers have been adding to the company’s range of products and service offerings. VIKING’s new super-sized, flexible evacuation system is a revolutionary hybrid that brings together the best of lifeboats and liferafts in one. The VIKING LifeCraft  system combines all of the advantages of modern lifeboats - such as self-propelled maneuverability - with the flexibility, comfort and smaller footprint of today’s liferafts. “This is a product that completely changes the lifeboat vs.

“When it comes to passenger suits for helicopter transfer, there are a number of commonly used materials and features that are well-suited to the task,” says Jens Peter Kruse, Vice President, PPE at leading maritime and fire safety equipment manufacturer and service provider VIKING Life-Saving Equipment. Jens Peter is referring to VIKING’s latest addition to what is already the widest range of ETSO- approved suits on the market: the PS5040 suit, the newest in advanced PPE clothing for transferring personnel to and from offshore platforms. “It may appear that this new suit has been designed from the ground up. In reality however, we’ve included materials and features that are popular in today’s suits.