LEADING lifeboat and davit manufacturer Schat-Harding has delivered the world’s largest lifeboats, complete with unique davit systems, to the world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas.

The Oasis of the Seas is equipped with eighteen of Schat-Harding’s unique, 370-person CRV55 lifeboats and LS45 davit systems. The CRV55 is the only pure lifeboat with a catamaran hull, which provides excellent sea-keeping capability and manoeuvrability. The LS45 davit, meanwhile, is a completely new integrated system for cruise vessels. The lifeboats are lowered directly from the stowed position, so that no outswing is needed, and the entire boat is positioned outside the hull of the ship. The CRV55 is of reinforced construction and has a special ‘green sea’ lashing system, making it secure in high waves.

Ole Meijer, executive vice-president of Schat-Harding's equipment division, explains, "These revolutionary boats and davits have been specially designed for the RCCL Genesis project ships which are being built at STX Europe (formerly Aker Yards). We have worked in close co-operation with STX, RCCL, Germanischer Lloyd and DnV to find a way to improve the safe evacuation of the 8,000-plus passengers and crew who will be sailing on these ships. These new boats will be safer and quicker to board for large numbers of people. They will also be easier to get away from the ship, because the davit does not have to move, and they will be safer once in the sea as they have twin engines and full built-in buoyancy. They fully meet all SOLAS requirements."

The CRV55 boat is 16.7 m long and 5.6 m wide. Built from Fibreglass Reinforced Polyester using a vacuum technique, the boat weighs 16 tonnes in its stowed condition and 44 tonnes when fully loaded. Two 70 HP diesel engines give the boat a speed of 6 knots, and the catamaran hull and twin rudders provide excellent manoeuvrability.

Describing the design of the boat and davit system, Meijer says, “This is the nearest you can get to a 'pull and go' system. The boat will hang from two quick release hooks which are simple to operate and which have clear visual indication of both locked and unlocked status. Lashing and bowsing are integrated and embarkation is at the stowed position through four colour-coded doors leading to ergonomically-planned colour-coded seating areas arranged on two levels. The winches are designed with a retraction system to lift the lowering block free from the boat canopy and a retardation function to reduce forces on the davit, winch and lifeboat hook when stopping.

"Speed of boarding, comfort on board, simplicity of operation and maintenance and a high degree of safety have been designed into the system. These boats mark a step change in the safe evacuation of large ships. I believe this is the first of a whole new generation of very large and very safe lifeboats."

Royal Caribbean International says the design of the lifeboats ensures that safety remains the number one priority, and that their unprecedented size and stability, together with their positioning on the embarkation and accommodation decks, provides distinct added value in terms of overall safety. “They are so much more than what one normally associates with lifeboats,” says Royal Caribbean. “They are superior rescue vessels, and ships unto themselves. They are supplied with full redundancies, much in line with the design of the ship overall. There is no preparation – you just remove the lashing, open the door, load the boat and go down to the sea. We can be ready in no time at all.”

Royal Caribbean describes Oasis of the Seas as ‘the largest and most revolutionary cruise ship in the world’. The 225,282 gt vessel carries 5,400 passengers, and features 2,700 staterooms. It is the first ship designed in accordance with Royal Caribbean’s new ‘neighbourhood’ concept of seven distinct themed areas, which includes Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Centre, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone. The ship’s home port is Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where the ship’s official naming ceremony will take place on November 30.

To download a hi res photo of the CRV55 and graphics of the system please go to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Merlinclients/SchatHarding

or e mail john@merlinco.com

Schat-Harding is the world’s leading supplier of lifeboat and evacuation systems for the cruise, offshore and shipping industries. It aims to improve safety at sea for all its customers. With factories and offices in Norway, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Panama, Singapore, Spain, Italy, Canada, the Czech Republic, the USA and China, and agents in thirty other countries, Schat-Harding provides a global service and supply network. Brands now owned by Schat-Harding include Watercraft, Viking Marine, Waterman, Fiskars, Davit-Company, MASECO, Watercraft America, William Mills Marine, Schat, Harding, Mulder & Rijke and the Beiyang Boatbuilding Co.