Largest Inflatable Lifeboat Design Completes Key Tests

The world’s largest inflatable lifeboat has completed physical tests required for classification. Developed by Survitec, Seahaven is being presented as a new alternative to help cruise lines manage their increasing passenger capacities while also freeing up valuable deck space. It is the latest in several proposed designs that would help the cruise industry as it moves into and past passenger capacities of 6,000 or more people on the latest mega-ships.

“With Seahaven, we have taken all the safety features, testing, and type approval processes associated with lifeboats and MES to solve the challenge of being able to evacuate growing numbers of passengers quickly, safely, and comfortably,” said Richard McCormick, Survitec Product Manager AES and MES. He describes Seahaven as “providing a totally different outlook on evacuation at sea.”

The design is for a 1,060-capacity inflatable lifeboat solution for cruise vessels, Survitec reports that the lifeboat recently completed the International Maritime Organization A.520 physical tests as required by classification society Lloyd’s Register. The stringent tests included ship sinking scenarios and a timed evacuation, which was achieved in less than 22 minutes. Under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) rules, evacuation should ....