VIKING wins international award for improving passenger safety

VIKING's innovative passenger evacuation system wins first prize at the international Safety at Sea Awards 2007

The prestigious Safety at Sea Award is given for excellence in saving and protecting life at sea. VIKING won the equipment category for demonstrating "an innovative and original development that has the potential either to reduce the risk of accidents, save or protect life at sea or improve on-board security".

The passenger fear factor – a serious risk in emergency situations
Crowd flow and control are essential in avoiding fear and panic that can slow down an evacuation from a passenger vessel in an emergency. VIKING's new evacuation liferaft system and SOLAS MiniSlide (VELS+SMS), was chosen for its innovative design that helps improve passenger evacuation flow, and patent pending features that reduce crew needed to operate the system so they can concentrate on helping passengers.

Standing at the top of an evacuation system can be a daunting prospect for anyone, especially in hard weather conditions. Hesitance to dive into the unknown is understandable, but slows evacuation. Passengers need to know where they are going and see what they are getting into.

VIKING’s new MiniSlide system has a dual approach to reducing these stress factors. Evacuees can see the full length of the slide from the top and can see into the adjoining liferaft. The large patent pending brake cushion at the base gives a clearly visible, safe stopping point, reducing the "fear of the unknown" factor. With an exit on either side it helps prevent crowd build up at the bottom that can hinder others from descending. At the same time, extra high sides along the slide give an increased feeling of security, especially in heavy weather, and help keep evacuees safer.

Freeing crew members to aid in evacuee flow
On ferries the number of crew members required to operate equipment is an important consideration, as there may be limited personnel on board. Only one crew member is needed to operate the new VIKING evacuation system. The patent pending single bowsing winch technology replaces the dual winch system, making the system faster and easier to position. One winch creates just the right pull in just the right places to ensure the liferaft is swiftly, safely and easily pulled into place ready to receive passengers.

Raises safety standards - exceeding maximum SOLAS requirements
VIKING’s new award winning system has full SOLAS approval and can be used in all national and international waters and is designed to withstand the immense forces, heavy seas and weather conditions a vessel may face during an emergency at sea.

System facts
The VELS+SMS system is designed for vessels with installation heights of between 1.5 and 3.7 metres and evacuates 501 people in 30 minutes (303 people in 17 minutes and 40 seconds for HSC). It can be operated by 1 crew member and is fully operational within 2 minutes. The liferaft is available with or without a canopy.

Second award nomination for VIKING
For the second time in just two years VIKING LIFE-SAVING EQUIPMENT has been nominated for a major international award for product innovation. Last year the new combined helicopter and immersion suit for offshore made it onto the short list for the Seatrade Award. This year's win for passenger mass evacuation systems shows innovation across the board.