Harding has announced it has been awarded contracts to deliver innovative lifeboats, tender vessels and davits to a major cruise line. Harding has redesigned their core products to meet the latest demands of the industry. The first deliveries will go to a leading cruise line, whose name had not been made public at the time of this release.
鈥淭o become the chosen supplier for this prestigious project, we had to show that we could come up with something new, both to the owner and to the shipyard,鈥� said Harding CEO, Styrk Bekkenes.
鈥淕etting contracts with world leaders is really a feather in our cap,鈥� he added. 鈥淐onvincing the shipyard that we had products that would meet the cruise lines鈥� high standards was our first challenge. Winning the confidence of a benchmark shipyard confirmed that we were back on the right track in the cruise segment.鈥�
Safety by design
The new Harding lifeboats are two stories unto themselves 鈥� a novel double-decker design that enables a record passenger capacity of 440.
鈥淣ot only do the new boats carry more people, they are easier to load and unload, because each deck has two entrances,鈥� stated Cruise Sales Director, Hallvard E. Skaare.
The new design shrinks the waterline, saving valuable space shipboard, while offering a roomier interior on board the lifeboat.
鈥淐ruise owners want passengers to be immersed in the cruise experience from the time they set foot on board, and transportation to and from shore is part of that total experience,鈥� said Skaare.
With air conditioning, roomy and comfortable seats, and an ultramodern design, the new tenders will be an integral part of a new cruise concept.
The davits used to lower and retrieve lifeboats and tenders have also undergone a transformation. Harding鈥檚 all-enclosed davits are sleek and elegant, enhancing rather than detracting from the ship鈥檚 overall appearance.
鈥淭he davits Harding supplies to the offshore industry are completely enclosed. This is for safety and maintenance purposes offshore, but an enclosed davit, designed for cruise, meets an aesthetic need as well,鈥� said Skaare.
鈥淲e have been in the marine safety business since 1928. This is innovation based on proven engineering,鈥� confirmed Styrk Bekkenes.
In both scope and value, the new cruise contract represents the biggest to date for Harding Safety AS.
鈥漌e took the chance, and it paid off. This new contract gives us a renewed and important foothold in the cruise industry, at a time when the offshore market is suffering due to low oil prices,鈥� added Bj酶rn Sturle Hillestad, Global Sales and Marketing Director in Harding Safety.
Harding will deliver a total of:
- 12 x 440 person lifeboats
- 24 x 230 person Lifeboat/Tender
- 36 x PD55 DM davits
- 6 x rescue boat stations
The contract also includes options for further deliveries.
Edited from press release by