New evacuation systems for Mexican ferry
The DBC Marine Evacuation Chute is proving attractive to a wide range of ship operators and to the offshore oil and gas Industry.
DBC Marine Safety Systems Ltd, part of the Zodiac SOLAS group, is to supply two marine evacuation systems for installation aboard the 'MV Chihuahua Star' operated by Baja Ferries in Mexico. The ferry sails between Mazatlan and La Paz on the Baja Peninsula.
The ferry owner’s decision to fit replacement escape slides was based on calculations of comparative long term ownership costs. Baja Ferries consequently turned to British Columbia based DBC Marine Safety Systems.
‘This is a significant order for DBC Marine, explained general manager Gary Birchenko. ‘It will also demonstrate to other ship operators that there is an alternative to living with excessive service fees. The situation appears to arise from purchasing departments being seduced by prices that can be up to 40% lower than those tendered by competing suppliers. Because they are classed as operational costs, the high service fees that arise later do not appear to be considered during purchase and ship owners can find themselves apparently tied to equipment that is unreasonably expensive to maintain.’
The DBC Marine Evacuation Chute has full SOLAS certification, and carries Type Approvals from Bureau Veritas, Transport Canada, and the United States Coast Guard. It enjoys an enviable safety record with over 15,000 safe descents since the first one was manufactured in the 1980s.
The design of the chute requires no effort from the user in order to safely descend. It easily accommodates stretchers, certain types of survival suits and breathing apparatus wearers. These features are proving attractive to a wide range of ship operators and to the offshore oil and gas Industry.
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