The ideal stage is in conjunction with laying out the major life-saving appliances (LSA’s, in particular the MES and lifeboats) arrangement. Ideally, at what stage during design should naval architects be consulting with Viking (or other similar equipment providers) about the evacuation planning for vessels? The Naval Architect spoke to Niels Frænde, Viking’s VP Sales, Cruise & LifeCraft, about the kind of practical safety and evacuation advice an equipment manufacturer can provide during the design process. Moreover, each LifeCraft can be connected to three other units (each holding up to 200 persons) to create a ‘LifeCraft system’ capable of holding 800 passengers and crew. Equipped with four battery-driven engines of 5.5kW each, as well as thrusters for sideways movement, the LifeCraft offers the advantage of compact storage by comparison with conventional lifeboats. In addition to its recent acquisition of lifeboat manufacturer Norsafe, announced at SMM in September, this year has also seen the commercial rollout of its LifeCraft concept.Īs the name suggests, the LifeCraft is a cross between a liferaft and lifeboat and designed with larger cruise ships in mind. This would be a concern on a merchant ship but for cruise ships or ro-paxes, where passengers may be elderly or have restricted mobility, it represents a particular problem.ĭanish-headquartered manufacturer Viking Life-Saving Equipment is keen to impress upon ship designers the value of consulting with safety specialists when it comes to the effective placement of Marine Evacuation Systems (MES). Consequently issues such as the safe and effective evacuation of a vessel, and ensuring that evacuation points are optimally placed, come secondary and treated as something of an afterthought during the design stages. In the perception of many naval architects, a ship’s safety needs translate into its structural requirements. Taking passenger ship evacuation to a safer place
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