World’s largest inflatable lifeboat launches

Seahaven, built by lifecraft and safety equipment company Survitec, has completed the International Maritime Organisation’s A.250 physical tests as required by Lloyd’s Register, and will officially launch to the cruise industry today.

The craft, with a capacity of 1.060, can be launched with the push of a button, without needing davits, and automatically inflates, taking just four minutes to deploy. Once deployed, it can travel independently for 24 hours at a speed of six knots.

One of the Lloyd’s Register tests required a timed evacuation from a sinking ship that had to be carried out in under 30 minutes under International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) rules. It was achieved in 22 minutes, Survitec says.

During the A.520 tests, conditions were created to those that seafarers and passengers would encounter in a real-life evacuation,” says Survitec ”Seahaven is unusual in that it is the first lifeboat to have been through, and continues to go through, an exhaustive reliability testing programme that far exceeds the testing requirements set out by SOLAS.”

”Our multi-faceted testing programme exceeds the SOLAS statutory requirements and proves Seahaven is reliable and more importantly safer than current evacuation arrangements,” said Claude Sada, Managing Director Survitec Survival Craft.

For shipowners, one of the key benefits is that the boat’s design means deck space is increased by 85% and the lifeboat does not have to be placed in conventional locations on the port and starboard waists of a ship.

It means there is more flexibility for designers to add  cabins and other amenities. Multiple slides make access easier for mobility-impaired passengers and enable evacuation of family groups. The self-propelled evacuation system is accessed by high-pressure inflatable slides and can be stowed in a rigid pod alongside the ship. It is also the largest-capacity evacuation system currently available, with each of its two units able to carry 530 people. Once launched, it can travel independently at six knots for 24 hours.

”Seahaven provides the opportunity for cruise-ship owners to reimagine the passenger experience by unlocking up to 85% of deck space,” says Survitec.

The boat will officially be launched at the Seatrade Cruise Global rade fair, currently being held in Miami.