FEATURE: SURVITEC
escape from a burning platform or ditch into rough seas. Whatever the scenario, their safety equipment has to be fit-for-purpose, well made, reliable, properly maintained and comply fully with current health and safety standards.
There can be no doubt that legislation has been and continues to be a key driver behind the development of marine safety products and survival equipment. At the same time, increasing competition within the supply chain is encouraging manufacturers and service providers to gain a competitive advantage by developing new products and services that offer a level of performance that goes beyond basic compliance.
A good example is the Seacrewsader lifejacket. This is a product that has been used extensively in the North Sea for many years. In 2010 the IMO brought in new regulations that introduced more stringent performance requirements for lifejackets. All SOLAS lifejackets manufactured after July 1st 2010 had to fit large persons weighing up to 140kg and a chest size up to 1750mm.
Rather than simply satisfy the new standard, the new Seacrewsader 2010 lifejacket was designed to outperform the SOLAS 2010 regulations (MSC200(80)) and deliver even better performance in the most demanding environments. Innovative design features helped improve body angle, mouth freeboard and face plane angles to ensure the lifejacket performs better in rough seas.
In an emergency, crews might be forced to abandon ship, escape from a burning platform or ditch into rough seas. Whatever the scenario, their safety equipment has to be fi t-for-purpose, well made, reliable, properly maintained and comply fully with current health and safety standards.
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With a 60g cylinder fitted to each symmetrical inflation chamber, the Seacrewsader 2010 provides 290N buoyancy for added protection when wearing heavy work gear and it is suitable for use with most immersion and abandonment suits.
Like the Seacrewsader 2010, Survitec’s Series 1000 passenger and aircrew survival suit is a product born out of many hours of careful research. The design objective was again to go beyond compliance, despite the fact that the regulatory standards for aviation products can be even more complex than SOLAS requirements.
As Jim Cook, Survitec’s Commercial Manager Aviation explains: “We didn’t want to just look at fulfilling specifications. We wanted to offer excellent wearer protection without compromising on the human factors like comfort and ease of donning. Our objective from the outset was to utilise the latest design technology and modern materials to create the very best possible survival suit.”
The outer shell of the suit is waterproof, breathable and inherently flame retardant yet the garment remains easy to don and comfortable to wear. Using technology developed for the NASA space programme, the wearer benefits from enhanced insulation that regulates the microclimate inside the suit in order to improve thermal comfort.
The design also minimises trapped air between the body and the suit. This makes movement easier and assists escape in an emergency. Hygiene is improved by the use of anti microbial nano-technology in the thermal liner. The watertight seals at neck and wrist are stronger, more flexible and less prone to damage making them safer and more effective yet more comfortable to wear.
While the design and manufacture of products like this is helping to keep people safe in the event of an emergency, the support infrastructure that ensures critical survival equipment is maintained and fit-for-purpose at all times is equally important. The companies that provide rental, servicing and repair services for marine safety equipment and personal protective equipment are making an important contribution to upholding the overall safety standards in the industry.
Servicing and repair operations are also subject to approval by the governing bodies and the equipment manufacturers. Survitec’s servicing and maintenance operation for aviation liferafts, lifejackets and survival suits
While the design and manufacture of products like this is helping to keep people safe in the event of an emergency, the support infrastructure that ensures critical survival equipment is maintained and fi t-for-purpose at all times is equally important.
is approved to EASA part 145 and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) FAR 145. The company’s marine liferaft and lifejacket service stations are similarly approved to maintain SOLAS life saving equipment.
Other services are also playing a key role in the safety of the offshore oil and gas industry. Survitec provides Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) out of Aberdeen using a powerful asset tracking system (CSAM) to log equipment movements, repairs and issues. This allows the company to plan and manage over 150 rotor wing flights per day. All assets are identified by a unique barcode, which is used to identify a suit and flag up issues as it passes through the service process.
Concluded Jim Cook: “Our business is all about improving the odds of people surviving an emergency at sea. From the design of our products through to the provision of through- life servicing and logistics support, we aim to equip workers in the offshore oil and gas industry with the very best equipment available every time they head offshore. Compliance with the standards set by the regulatory authorities should just be the starting point. Our commitment is to see if we can go one step further.”
For further information on the products and services supplied by Survitec’s UK services business visit
www.survitec-sd.com. For details on the Survitec Group see:
www.survitecgroup.com Oil&GasCONNECT 51
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