NGSCO’s LNG Carriers Refitted with Drop-in-Ball Lifeboat Hooks

VIKING is a NADIRO preferred installation, distribution and service provider. Image: Viking Life Safety

New IMO regulations call for major and mandatory improvements to safeguard lives during lifeboat drills and during real-life emergencies at sea. For more than a decade, Lifeboat Release and Retrieval Systems (LRRS) including on-load release hooks have been the cause of numerous accidents, some involving fatalities or serious injuries. Those accidents have seriously tarnished the reputation of lifeboats as a safety device and caused great concern to mariners.

Even though the new IMO regulations which come into force this year allow companies to wait until their ship’s next dry dock period,  the UAE’s National Gas Shipping Company (NGSCO) has already installed new LRRS’ utilizing the Nadrio-developed Drop-in-Ball™ system on board their fleet of eight LNG carriers.

Denmark-based Nadiro A/S notes that this system improves upon conventional hooks, using hydraulics instead of cables, and intuitive controls inside the lifeboats. It was the first to be listed in the IMO GISIS database of compliant LRRS systems. Today, it is also approved by DNV, ABS, LR and the USCG.

Distributing, installing, and servicing the system for Nadiro is Viking Life Safety’s Dubai-based service station.

VIKING’s Country Director for the Middle East, Anders Noergaard Lauridsen notes, “The project proceeded smoothly and we are very pleased with the results. We are confident that this is a significant contribution to protecting the lives of personnel at sea.”

Have you ever run into issues with your lifeboat hooks?  Please share your experience below…