Refugee rescue boat equipped with Survitec liferafts

This rescue ship which has been sent by the Norwegian government to help with the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean has been equipped with four large open reversible liferafts supplied by Survitec Group in Norway, each of which has the capacity to carry up to 51 refugees.

The RS Petter Henry Von Koss’s mission is to patrol the seas and provide assistance to migrants who have either abandoned ship, or who are stranded on a sinking vessel, after attempting the perilous sea crossing from Africa to Europe. Once the refugees have been rescued from the water, the ship will tow the liferafts to safety.

Survitec Norway is one of the Redningsselskapet’s (Norwegian Rescue Brigade) long-standing strategic partners. For many years there has been a purchasing agreement between the two organisations for life saving equipment. The type of raft that will be used in the Mediterranean is part of Survitec’s Brude range. The liferafts were supplied on a ‘not-for-profit’ basis.

Said Bjorn Nogva, Sales and Marketing Manager at Survitec Norway AS: “When the Redningsselskapet approached us and asked for our assistance in supplying suitable liferafts that could accommodate a large number of people, we were only too happy to help. With these liferafts onboard the crew of the rescue boat will be able to rescue several hundred refugees in one go, far more than the ship could possibly carry as passengers.”

The 30m long RS Petter Henry Von Koss normally operates along the Norwegian coastline but it will be based in Greece throughout its humanitarian mission. The decision to send a rescue ship was announced by the Norwegian Prime Minister earlier this year, with the vessel to be operation in the Mediterranean this month.