VIKING SYSTEMS MAKE BARGE EVACUATIONS QUICK AND SAFE

Due to heavy cargo, barges and other commercial transport vessels experience larger draft variations than traditional ro-ro ships, such as ferries. Meeting strict SOLAS requirements, the VIKING Evacuation Slide (VES) System from Viking Life-Saving Equipment provides the ideal solution. Its design enables evacuation angles of 30-35° in normal conditions and up to 55° in distressed situations. A high-capacity evacuation system, Viking's VES can evacuate 657 people in 30 minutes or at least 386 in 17 minutes, 40 seconds. Offering a flexible installation, the incredibly compact slide system is stowed in cassettes with a small footprint, freeing valuable deck space. Unlike other evacuation devices that protrude, the innovative VES can be fitted flush to the craft's side. This is great for barges that have to moor alongside supply vessels. It can be mounted at heights between 20' and 50'. Extremely stable even in rough seas, the heavy-duty slide system is simple to use and requires few crew members to operate. A landing platform saves time in an emergency as evacuation can begin before the liferafts completely inflate. Grab lines along the length of the slide provide a means of rescue and embarkation for those returning to the ship from the water. The versatile VES can be customized to fit any ship's design and a range of Viking liferafts, from 25 to 101 people, can be combined with the system to meet capacity requirements. To conserve room, the additional drop-down liferafts are stored anywhere convenient onboard and released when needed by remote. Viking Life-Saving Equipment recently delivered a VIKING Evacuation Slide (VES) System to APC Marine for their new 300-person capacity accommodation and pipe laying barge, APC Aussie 1. A compact design, saving deck space and simplifying mooring, as well as the ability to cope with large draft variations make the VES the perfect evacuation system for this vessel. Contact Viking Life-Saving Equipment, 1400 NW 159th St., #101, Miami, FL 33169. 305-614-5800; Fax: 305-614-5810. usasales@viking-life.com; www.viking-life.com. If you have questions about this press release or client, please contact us: Martin Flory Group; PO Box 360, Gurnee IL 60031 Phone: 847-662-9070; Fax: 847-336-7126 info@martinflory.com; www.martinflory.com.