VIKING supplies the first SART with non-hazardous battery pack

All cargo and passenger vessels sailing under SOLAS regulations are required to carry SARTs. As most meet the same required standard, differentiation is a question of design and maintenance cost. The unique battery pack on the ultra slim and lightweight SARTs from VIKING are easier and less expensive to transport and maintain.

What is a SART?
An SART is a "search and rescue (radar) transponder", stored in or near liferafts in case of emergency. Liferaft occupants activate the radar transponder on boarding the liferaft. When activated the SART is on standby and is triggered by the pulse from the radar of a rescue unit or nearby vessel. It then sends out a distinctive series of signals that identifies the liferaft and allows the vessel to locate the liferaft. The transponder can be detected from a distance of approximately 5 nautical miles, or up to 30 nautical miles by aircraft (depending on altitude). It does not require any specialised form of receiver. Normal navigational radar will pick up the distinctive multi-point signal.

Who needs to carry SARTs?
Large vessels travelling in international waters are required to carry SARTs for their liferafts and for the main vessel. They must be positioned so that they can be accessed easily and taken on board the liferaft. On RO-RO passenger ships, one SART is required per four liferafts, according to the SOLAS amendment to Chapter III reg. 26 that came into force on the 1st July 2004, and they are packed into the liferaft container.

They may have to meet the same requirements, but all SARTs are not the same
Expected battery life for a SART is approximately 4 to 5 years, after which it must be sent to a certified servicing station for replacement and testing. As SARTs are manufactured to SOLAS requirements and must reach a similar standard, the cost involved in sending the unit for battery replacement and testing is often an important factor.

VIKING LIFE-SAVING EQUIPMENT supplies a SART that uses a non-hazardous replaceable battery pack, the first in existence to do so. They are safer and cheaper to maintain and replace when necessary. Transportation costs for supply and maintenance are also considerably lower as they can be sent without hazardous charges.

Time may be of the essence when the SART is needed. If the SART needs to be retrieved for carrying onboard a liferaft, it needs to be easy to carry and lightweight.

SARTs from VIKING are ultra slim, ultra lightweight, making them extremely easy to carry on board and mount in the liferaft. They are designed specifically for liferafts, either to carry on board or for permanent installation in the liferaft, and are a mere 40mm in diameter at their slimmest point.