VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has been declared the winning bidder in a tender covering three offshore high-speed ambulance boats that will support emergency services in the Aegean Sea.
The international tender was concluded after a cooperation between the Hellenic Coast Guard and the Greek Emergency Response Organization (EKAB) in an initiative supported and financed by the European Union under the INTERREG V-A Cooperation Programme 2014-2020.
It is understood that all three ambulance boats are scheduled for delivery during the summer of 2020, to take up station operating from remote Greek islands in the Aegean.
The vessels will be fabricated using the successful VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 design and will be equipped with twin-diesel stern-drive engines to achieve speeds of up to 40 knots, as well as cutting-edge navigation instruments.
Construction of the boats will take place at the VIKING Norsafe facility in Thiva, Greece. Following their delivery, VIKING will be responsible for technical support and maintenance.
These boats will be equipped with twin stretchers, resuscitation devices and the necessary medical equipment to help perform rescue operations, medical evacuations and other humanitarian missions under harsh weather in cases of emergency.
It is reported that this is the first time that the Hellenic Coast Guard has incorporated ambulance boats in its fleet and, if the project fulfills expectations, more orders could be likely.
In the words of John Georgiadis, Managing Director for VIKING Norsafe’s production facility in Greece: ‘I would like to congratulate our team for their dedication and hard work in putting together this successful tender. We were up against some very tough competitors, but our team met the very stringent conditions to the satisfaction of the Hellenic Coast Guard.”
Endre Eidsvik, VP, Sales & Service, VIKING Norsafe Boats & Davits, added: ‘This is a great tender to win, and an important milestone that will further strengthen our position in this market segment. Being based on the very successful VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 design, these boats will be highly manoeuvreable even in rough sea conditions with low freeboards to help with rescue operations.’
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Relationship between recreational navigation and commercial or fishing ports is complex. Recreational vessels sometimes operate and berth in locations that are not ideal from the point of view of the integrated management of the coastal zone.
Interactions and conflict
Different uses and different interests on coastal segments can cause conflicts and risks that are difficult to manage. Sometimes a portion of an existing fishing, industrial or commercial port is converted to recreational boating use. This may happen as a result of specific intent within the context of a long-term port master plan, but sometimes is only a spontaneous response to the demand by recreational activities. Especially in the latter case, interactions between different kinds of traffic may lead to conflicts and may also cause unsafe and/or unsustainable situations.
Minimising potential conflict
The aim of this report is to identify best practice recommendations for the operation, planning and design of recreational navigation to minimise potential conflicts with other types of traffic and seek a new approach to positive synergies with fishing communities.
Here the intention is to generally assess the cause and effects of these conflicts, analyse data relative to accidents between recreational and commercial vessels, and to present case studies that illustrate some of the general trends, in order to reach useful conclusions.
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