New Lifeboat Release and Retrieval Systems (LRRS) are being installed on the vessels of National Gas Shipping Company (NGSCO) of Abu Dhabi, well in advance of new IMO regulations coming into force this year.
The combination of the innovative Nadiro Drop-in-Ball™ technology and VIKING UAE’s certified lifeboat service technicians were the perfect solution to achieve compliance.
New IMO regulations call for major and mandatory improvements to safeguard lives both during lifeboat drills and during emergencies at sea. For more than a decade, LRRS including on-load release hooks have been the cause of numerous accidents, some involving fatalities. Those accidents have tarnished the reputation of lifeboats as a safety device.
As NGSCO have a strong commitment to excellence and strive for superior safety, they made it a priority to get the lifeboat hooks retrofitted as soon as possible with the latest technology, even though the regulations would allow them to wait until the next dry dock period in five years.
The award-winning Drop-in-Ball™ system developed by Denmark-based NADIRO A/Simproves upon conventional hooks, using hydraulics instead of cables, and intuitive controls inside the lifeboats. It was the first to be listed in the IMO GISIS database of compliant LRRS systems. Today, it is also approved by DNV, ABS, LR and USCG.
VIKING is the worldwide NADIRO preferred installation, distribution and service provider. The Dubai service station has more than 28 years of experience servicing essential safety equipment on lifeboats.
VIKING’s Country Director for the Middle East, Anders Noergaard Lauridsen explains why VIKING was the natural choice to perform the retrofit onboard NGSCO’s vessels: “ VIKING and NGSCO are both dedicated to raising safety standards at sea. The project proceeded smoothly and we are very pleased with the results. We are confident that this is a significant contribution to protecting the lives of personnel at sea .”
Viking, January 3, 2014