Records tumbled this week when lifeboat and davit manufacturer Schat-Harding set a new world best for a lifeboat freefall drop by successfully launching its new FF1200 offshore lifeboat from a drop height of 55m.
Fully loaded and with an all up weight of 30 tons, the FF1200 was dropped into the sea from a 55m test rig at Schat-Harding's Rosendal facility in west Norway. The boat surfaced with powerful positive headway and no internal or external damage.
‘The G forces measured in the boat during fall and impact were well below the requirements of the authorities', said Ove Roessland, CEO of Schat-Harding. ‘The high drop height makes the boat go very deep, around 11m under the water, and gives it a lot of momentum to clear the rig. We are very proud of our new boat, which sets a complete new benchmark for safety in the offshore energy field.’
Roessland says 55m is by no means the highest limit of the boat, but was dictated only by the height of the available crane for testing.
‘We don't expect to see service heights like this in the near future', said Roessland. ‘But we want to be sure our boats will be safe at heights over 40m, and so we are testing them as high as we can. It is quite something to see a 30 ton lifeboat flying from 55m.'
Schat-Harding has already received ten orders for the FF1200 from BP and Talisman Energy. The first craft will be delivered to Talisman`s YME development project in the third quarter of this year.
