First full electric freefall lifeboat order
Dutch lifeboat manufacturer Verhoef has been awarded the first contract for the delivery of aluminium freefall lifeboats with electric propulsion on behalf of the Valhall Flank West project in Norway.
The contract was signed in Stavanger on Tuesday November 21, 2017, and an optional agreement was made for similar projects in the future.
Special lifeboat Valhall Flank West is designed for minimal maintenance. Consequently, an aluminium freefall lifeboat with a battery powered electric motor instead of a diesel engine will be a huge advantage. This is not only the first time that this type of freefall lifeboat will be used on the Norwegian Continental Shelf – but also globally. Without any doubt, this will be a game changer with many to follow.
The all aluminium freefall lifeboat, type FL50-NS-EP (electric propulsion) has a maximum capacity of 32 persons@100 kg, and complies to DNV-GL-ST-E406. The battery pack has been designed to sail 30 minutes at full speed, and after that 10 hours at approximate 50% of maximum speed. Already in December 2014 VERHOEF has performed successful tests along the coast of the Netherlands. Equipped with a compact propulsion system and latest design of Li-ion batteries, Verhoef is convinced that with this development a new era of lifeboat technology will be entered.
As reported in last month’s Maritime Journal electric lifeboats are an important development area for several manufacturers particularly because of the potential reduced servicing overheads compared with a diesel engine variant.
By Jake Frith
Related Articles
MARINE CONSTRUCTION
POWER & PROPULSION
ENVIRONMENT