VIKINGs next generation liferafts designed with the passenger in mind

Climbing into a liferaft from the water can be exceedingly difficult when compounded by poor weather conditions, the cold, fatigue and poor visibility. Gaining access to this life-saving equipment may seem a daunting task.

Currently there are no IMO regulations that govern how easily accessible a liferaft needs to be. Most are designed for an average adult to board, but this can be difficult when environmental factors affect a person's motor skills.

New designs make entering liferafts faster and easier
VIKING has been working on improving liferaft boarding for many years. Naval forces' criteria for liferaft entry tend to be stricter than those required by IMO, and in a recent supply to the Swedish Navy, special entry steps were part of a groundbreaking design that was the culmination of years of research and development within the Danish company.

Their stable entry steps for the new naval liferaft float under the water level, allowing people to board easily from the water. The steps are designed to work with body weight and movement and aid momentum in the right direction into the liferaft. VIKING tested this system on their 100 man liferaft using older people as test subjects. This step system proved here to dramatically improve the ease at which people with reduced motor skills could enter the liferaft. As a result, they are looking at applying this technology to other liferafts in their range.

Research and development based on evacuees real needs
The development project by VIKING that forms part of a permanent exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MOMA) is an example of the new thinking that is going into VIKING's current prototypes. Here the entry system is a ramp that evacuees in the water can simply crawl up. The liferaft itself is designed to work with wave movement rather than against it, its shape ensuring that the liferaft faces the wave in a direction that improves stability in the water. An extra large opening and special roof arch design allows passengers to support themselves in a standing position for improved visibility and to aid rescue by helicopter.

Although this MOMA prototype is not likely to enter production in their present form, the developments and revolutionary thinking that is put into them will be used to make the next generation of liferafts better and safer.

Increasing standards ahead of legislation
Changes to IMO regulations take time, but as Nikhil Garde, industrial designer within VIKING's Research and Development department, says, "Who can afford to wait? VIKING continually works on small details that make a big difference, often taking the safety standard above that required by IMO."