Mercy mission davits
Norway-based boat handling system and specialised davit supplier Vestdavit has supplied a PLR-3600 FCR davit to the offshore vessel ‘Siem Pilot’, which is Norway’s official contribution to Operation Triton, the European mission to rescue African refugees in the Mediterranean.
Siem Pilot belongs to Siem Offshore and is normally used in offshore activities and North Sea rescue work. In normal configuration it has cabin space for 64 persons and a cargo deck of almost 1,000 square metres. Following conversion it will be able to accommodate up to 500 refugees. The Vestdavit davit system which has been installed at short notice on the aft deck will allow the vessel to deploy two fast rescue craft, which are vital to finding and rescuing refugees.
Rolf Andreas Wigand, managing director of Vestdavit told Maritime Journal, “We are proud to supply the davits which will make the Siem Pilot an effective part of the mission to save thousands of refugees in the Mediterranean, and we are proud we could supply and fit the davit quickly so that the vessel can deploy without delay. Our davit will allow the ship to launch and recover boats in sea states which others cannot operate in, widening the operational window and giving them the capacity to carry out rescues from other small craft even in bad weather.”
By Jake Frith
