Increasing survival in cold water

The new life jacket, which has been developed jointly by the Peel Ports Group and Mullion Survival Technology, aims to fill a gap in the market for marine pilots and other workers in water-based roles.

“The project involved listening to the needs of marine pilots and providing them with solutions and technologies that mean that if they are faced with an incident, they know they are safe,” said Nicole Read, group marine projects manager at Peel Ports Group.

“We’re very pleased to have developed a next-generation marine safety jacket, with three prototypes created over the course of two years in order to perfect the final product.”

User input

The partners developed the jacket after undertaking an audit of similar products available on the market and concluded that existing jackets would not protect against the threat of cold-water shock.

Following two years of research, prototype testing and end-user consultations, the pilot jacket is now rolling off the production line, with Liverpool Pilotage Services Limited (LPSL) receiving the first order and marine teams across Peel Ports Group expecting their jackets in the coming weeks.

A selection of other major ports and offshore companies have also tagged onto Peel Ports’ initial order to test the jacket.

The launch of the new pilot jacket forms part of a wider project led by Peel Ports Group’s Marine team to review the end-to-end process of boarding and landing of personnel to and from ships.

As well as the design and production of a new pilot jacket, the project has led to the development of a brand-new pilot ladder safety training course that is now being recognised by other major ports, and the introduction of regular ‘wet’ safety drills.

The jacket boasts many innovative features, including some inspired by protective clothing encountered by Nicole Read when climbing and mountain biking, such as a helmet-compatible hood and back protector.

It also features a 150N integrated automatic life jacket, an AIS personal locator beacon and neoprene seals at the neck, waist and wrists to reduce the threat of cold-water shock.