TIM eMagazine Volume 1 Issue 12 | Page 22

Maritime Viking Introduces Hybrid Evacuation And Survival Craft System At Seatrade Cruise Global Image Credits: viking-life.com V IKING has chosen Seatrade Cruise Global in Fort Lau- derdale to showcase a host of innovative safety solu- tions and servicing concepts, proving once again that the company is closely aligned with cruise line operators needs and priorities. Marine and offshore safety equipment leader VIKING Life-Saving Equipment (VIKING) has a strong trio of new products in store for shipowners and operators attending Seatrade Cruise Global. The flagship among these is the revolutionary VIKING LifeCraft™ hybrid evacuation and survival craft system. Currently undergoing a comprehensive full-scale test program, the official launch of this highly anticipated gamechanger is just around the corner. During the exhibition, VIKING specialists will be available at Stand 835, to explain how the LifeCraft™ combines all the advantages of modern lifeboats, such as self-propelled maneuverability, with the 22 flexibility, comfort and smaller footprint of liferafts. In addition, they will offer a glimpse of the LifeCraft™ storage and launch unit that’s ex- pected to set completely new standards for innovation, functionality and aesthetics in deckside or hull-integrated evacuation systems. New efficiencies in evacuation VIKING will also unveil its new VEC PlusTM evacuation solution, rep- resenting a complete design upgrade of existing high-capacity marine evacuation systems (MES) to boost long-term durability and vastly simplify maintenance. Niels Fraende, Director of VIKING’s Passenger Division explains how this has been achieved: “With more than 1300 MES systems in operation, we’ve gained un- paralleled experience when it comes to their operational and servicing lifecycle. Recently, we re-examined every aspect of today’s evacuation solutions, cutting down the number of components and introducing new access and servicing methods,” he says. “For example, now you can simply swap part-elements, rather than uninstall the entire system