Innovative survival raft ready for distribution
British marine safety expert, SeaSafe, has announced it is to begin the worldwide distribution of the Salvare SEAPOD, an innovative inflatable survival platform.
Several years in development, the British conceived and manufactured SEAPOD is designed for MOB situations, providing survivors with a place of refuge away from freezing waters.
Commenting on the distribution agreement, Jeremy Dale, managing director of SeaSafe, said: “We are delighted to have reached an agreement with Salvare allowing us to sell the SEAPOD worldwide to our UK and International customer base.”
“It’s equally pleasing that this highly innovative MOB device is totally British designed and made. It will appeal to both recreational sailors and professional mariners, together with air and water borne rescue services,” he added.
SEAPOD can be swiftly deployed and its two separate chambers will activate and auto inflate as soon as it comes into contact with water. Unlike a conventional life raft it does not matter which way up the SEAPOD inflates once it is in the water as both the top and bottom surfaces are identical.
Only a few centimetres thick, it has strategically placed hand and foot holds to ensure survivors can board easily. Out of the water they have a place of refuge for what could be hours waiting to be rescued from the sea.
Additional benefits include a low profile which means strong wind conditions have a minimal effect on it and a highly visible colour scheme. The lightweight design – 7kg or 3kg for the mini version – means that it can be easily and rapidly deployed.
Primarily intended for inshore use, its pre-inflated compact size makes it suitable for smaller craft yet significant interest in SEAPOD has come from vessels of all sizes including large ships. It will also appeal to operators of waterside sites such as marinas or harbours and quaysides with public access.
SEAPOD is available in three different sizes – SEAPOD 1.8m for one to two people, SEAPOD 3.0m for four to eight persons and the 1.4m MINI-POD for a single person.
Visit both companies at Seawork International 2016 on stands A20 (Salvare Worldwide Ltd) and PG148 (SeaSafe Systems Ltd).
By Rebecca Strong
