“In a rescue scenario, while you need power to get away from a ship quickly, you do not need the same performance criteria in a life raft, where you just provide protection for those stranded at sea awaiting rescue,” he explains. “The rules and regulations say a lifeboat has to be evaluated twice a week, and if the vessel was packed away in a container, with a diesel engine, that would not be possible,” he explains. But Fraende and his team realized diesel was not the only option. He recalls the small-scale prototype having a diesel engine, which led to the first obstacle for the team. “It came out of an EU project called Safecraft and at that time there was a prototype that eventually became LifeCraft,” Fraende says. This would also provide a compelling case for use in passenger ships, where the newly free space could be used for additional berths or passenger amenities. The original idea was to develop a vessel that could act as both lifeboat and life raft, which could be packed away on board a ship, requiring less space than conventional lifeboats. “We were coming up against people wedded to diesel, but the market is now changing and there’s a lot of focus on emissions, so we have created something that is non-polluting.”Ĭonvincing the maritime industry that electric was a viable alternative is not the only challenge the company has faced. “It is a very innovative market, but it is also a very conservative market,” explains Niels Fraende, Viking’s vice president of cruise and LifeCraft. Lifeboats have always been simple, using a basic means of propulsion to get people safely away from a distressed ship, and the maritime industry has never felt the need to change. It took 10 years to develop, and not only newly combines a lifeboat with a life raft, but offshore safety specialist Viking has also opted for an all-electric propulsion system, which has created a splash in a sector wedded to the tried and tested. Bobbing about in the North Sea, facing waves more of than 4m (13ft) – 50% higher than its heavy-weather testing requirements – the Viking LifeCraft system represents a completely new approach to safety vessels.
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