Viking buys lifeboat release system developer Nadiro

Nadiro's Drop-in-Ball mechanism

AUGUST 21, 2015 — Leading marine and fire safety equipment and servicing provider Viking Life-Saving Equipment A/S has long been a preferred distributor and service provider for lifeboat release and retrieval system specialist Nadiro A/S. Now it has acquired the company from Maersk Group and SH Group.

Under SOLAS requirements aimed at improving the safety of lifeboat release and retrieval systems (LRRS) shipowners are being required to install lifeboat on-release hook mechanisms with improved systems.

One such system is the Drop in Ball technology developed by Denmark’s Nadiro A/S.

Viking says that the SOLAS-mandated hook retrofitting is necessary to prevent serious accidents resulting from unsafe lifeboat deployment systems.

It says that the Nadiro systems enable Viking to provide high-quality, extremely reliable solutions that ensure safety levels beyond basic compliance.

Viking CEO Henrik Uhd Christensen calls the acquisition of Nadiro a strategic move that enables his company to better address this key safety issue for its customers, and is part of the continued expansion of Viking’s already extensive product portfolio.

“For more than a decade, on-load release hooks installed to enable lifeboats to be lowered into and retrieved from the water have themselves been the cause of numerous accidents,” says Mr. Christensen. “Some have involved fatalities. With our stated mission to protect and save human lives all over the world, and our global leadership within maritime safety equipment, doing everything we can to rectify the problem has been a natural focal point for Viking over the past few years.”

Mr. Christensen sees Nadiro, which will be integrated into the Viking organization, as a perfect fit for the company:”Nadiro has performed well, and its products have been instrumental in ensuring the safety of crew on board many vessels,” he says. “Now the time has come to add further power to Nadiro’s expansion via a focused, global safety platform. And Viking is the right company to provide that platform.”

With Viking’s global network and resources supporting its work, Viking Nadiro, as the brand will be renamed, enables Viking to provide a solution that goes beyond basic compliance.

“The Viking Nadiro brand will give shipowners a complete and high-quality answer to the LRRS compliance challenge,” says Mr. Christensen.