Cruise ship evacuation alternative

Global survival technology pioneer Survitec is teaming up with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH), Independent Maritime Advisors Ltd, and a major shipbuilder to deliver a cruiseship design incorporating Survitec’s Seahaven, the world’s largest inflatable lifeboat.

The companies established the industry working group with a view to installing Seahaven, the award-winning advanced evacuation system (AES), as the primary means of evacuation onboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s next ground-breaking Prima Class ships.

The 1,060-person capacity Seahaven, a self-propelled inflatable lifeboat, marks a significant step forward in maritime safety. The system works in conjunction with a marine evacuation system (MES), the first of which was installed aboard Norwegian Epic in 2009.

Ron Krisanda, Executive Chairman, Survitec, said: “Our involvement in this important project is a testament to the strong relationship we have with NCLH as their trusted safety solutions partner. We are delighted to be working alongside these visionary organisations to help equip cruiseships of the future with pioneering survival technology.”

“Seahaven also offers opportunities for naval architects to optimise vessel design,” attests Richard McCormick, Product Manager of AES and MES.

“By replacing conventional lifeboats with Seahaven, we solve the challenge of being able to evacuate an increasing number of cruise passengers quickly, safely and comfortably, while freeing up to an additional 85% of existing lifeboat deck space for greater passenger experiences,” he said.

Typically, a 4,000-passenger capacity cruiseship would require at least 12 to 16 lifeboats and up to four MES with liferafts, taking about 30 minutes to evacuate the ship. Just four Seahavens would be required to evacuate the same number of passengers in the same amount of time.

Seahaven successfully passed Heavy Weather Sea Trials (HWST) in December 2021.