Re-branded service offers increased operational flexibility

Global safety and survival solutions provider Survitec has rebranded its established liferaft rental and exchange service to meet increasing market demand for service flexibility.

The new look RaftXChange service brings together the company’s proven liferaft equipment rental and servicing scheme under one clear offer with the ability to easily upgrade to the more enhanced RaftXChange+ service.

“The RaftXChange model provides our customers with everything they need from their initial and ongoing liferaft requirements, whenever the need it,” said Malcolm Barratt, Technical Sales Manager – Liferafts, Survitec.

“While system reliability is synonymous with a Survitec liferaft, the rental and exchange plan enables users to significantly improve operational flexibility. RaftXChange makes full use of Survitec’s global network to ensure that any required service and exchange is readily available at all the major ports.”

Survitec’s global liferaft support network includes 405 accredited service stations covering more than 2,000 ports worldwide.

Under the enhanced RaftXChange+ contract, Survitec also provides crew training, certifying crews to inspect the liferafts themselves in between their 30-month service intervals, which negates the need for external technicians onboard or annual servicing.

Barratt said: “Ultimately, RaftXChange+ means the frequency of moving liferafts on and off a vessel is reduced, saving time and money for operators. It is ideal for ships with short or infrequent port calls, which equates to increased efficiency.”

Tommy Scott, Head of Engineering – Survitec Liferafts, points out: “With customer-owned liferafts, the equipment has to be removed from the vessel, taken to the service station on shore, returned and refitted. This all takes up valuable time in port and, under the normal annual service agreements, has to be done four times within a five-year period.

“RaftXChange sees the equipment immediately exchanged for a fully serviced and certified liferaft, offering a significant time saving. With a RaftXChange+ contract, this process happens once every five years, as opposed to annually, thus saving even more time and costs.”

Survitec offers a single point of contact, taking care of the day-to-day servicing and exchange of the lifesaving equipment as well as booking services and invoicing.

“RaftXChange is indicative of the continuous research and development we undertake to provide operators with the optimum level of crew, passenger and ship safety available. With RaftXChange, we provide our customers with the most effective means of delivering system reliability, reduced maintenance and value on a global basis,” said Scott.

All liferafts within the Survitec RaftXChange rental pool meet and exceed international class, quality and safety standards as per SOLAS and the LSA Code. This includes testing in accordance with IMO Res.MSC.81(70), as amended and for extended service intervals, IMO MSC.1/Circ.1328.

Survitec has provided inflatable survival technology at sea and in the air for over a century. Since then, the company has grown into its present market leadership position, developing product ranges that constantly meet changing market and regulatory demands.