KiwiRail’s two new ferries will incorporate many groundbreaking options — together with a groundbreaking passenger evacuation system.
Viking Life-Saving Equipment A/S stories that its LifeCraft vessel evacuation system is now set for set up on its first newbuild vessels. The system, first introduced in November 2013, will function the principle evacuation answer on board two new hybrid-electric Interislander rail-enabled ferries on order for New Zealand’s KiwiRail at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea. They will function throughout the Cook Strait linking the 2 predominant islands of New Zealand and are being constructed, at a value of USD$369 million every, as a part of the Inter-island Resilient Connection (iReX).
The KiWi Rail LifeCraft system contains 4 203-person self-propelled inflatable survival craft and an EscapeWay 4-chute system, all saved collectively in the identical unit which may be both positioned on deck or constructed into the facet of the vessel, bringing collectively, says Viking, “the advantages of premium lifeboat, liferaft and evacuation system technology in a revolutionary hybrid solution.”
“During the development process of LifeCraft, compactness has been an important parameter all the way through. For the Interislander ferries as well as any other ship that will be a major asset in terms of both safety, comfort, and the demand for space on deck to utilize for other purposes,” says Niels Fraende, vice chairman of LifeCraft gross sales at Viking.
In the case of LifeCraft, compactness additionally equals saving weight and thus decreasing vessel gas consumption.
“Be it a ferry or a cruise-ship, the integration of safety systems is paramount in the ship-design process, which means that it at times will be a priority at the expense of aesthetics or comfort. This system makes this trade-off irrelevant by offering a solution that – apart from being a state-of-the art safety system – also is both practical, light, and visually appealing,” says Anders Ørgård, CEO at vessel designer OSK-ShipTech.
“When deciding to renew a fleet trusted to serve millions of people, the replacement vessels must exceed traveler expectations and be of the highest standard in terms of quality, technology, efficiency, and safety,” says Massimo Soprano, ships program director, iReX, KiwiRail. “This is also the case for the onboard evacuation systems, which is an area where compromise is never an option. Here, LifeCraft and the innovation and extensive testing backing the system has proved to be an excellent survival craft solution. Beyond potentially providing an increase in safety, the system also saves large amounts of space, weight and time-consuming procedures.”
One of the areas the place the Viking LifeCraft system is breaking new floor normally is the digitalization of all the pre-departure safety-check. Instead of taking on the crew’s time and counting on handbook processes similar to testing flamable gas engines, the captain or security officer has the readiness standing of the system out there on the contact of a button, direct from the vessel’s bridge, inside just some moments.
