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“At full speed, it takes just two or three minutes to get to a safe distance, and then you do not need the motors until help arrives.” “It can accelerate extremely quickly,” says Fraende.

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The result is an inflatable-hulled 13 x 8.5m (42 x 28ft) vessel with seats for 200 people, plus three crew members. Lithium batteries feed four 4.5kW Torqueedo motors, each mounted at the four corners of the vessel, a configuration that allows maximum maneuverability and can propel the LifeCraft at speeds of up to 4.5kts. In a decade of development, Viking produced more than 50 prototypes, each undergoing a range of tests, including using jet engines to see how they fared against 150km/h (93mph) winds. Then in 2011-2012 Tesla entered the market, as did the likes of BMW, and electric propulsion started to be more attractive from a performance and battery-life perspective.”

The first issue to surface was around kilowatts – we needed to provide enough propulsion. “We did a lot of analysis, took into account a number of considerations, and looked at what was available. According to Fraende, when help arrives, the craft can go back to being a powered lifeboat to maneuver up to whatever vessel is providing rescue, which means power is required only in short bursts.Īt the time of Safecraft, developments were taking place in the automotive industry, leading Viking to look at some of the electric propulsion systems on the market.“Electric cars were starting to become commercially available and batteries were entering the market,” recalls Fraende. “In a rescue scenario, while you need power to get away from a ship quickly, you do not need the same performance criteria in a life raft, where you just provide protection for those stranded at sea awaiting rescue,” he explains. “The rules and regulations say a lifeboat has to be evaluated twice a week, and if the vessel was packed away in a container, with a diesel engine, that would not be possible,” he explains. But Fraende and his team realized diesel was not the only option. He recalls the small-scale prototype having a diesel engine, which led to the first obstacle for the team.

“It came out of an EU project called Safecraft and at that time there was a prototype that eventually became LifeCraft,” Fraende says.

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This would also provide a compelling case for use in passenger ships, where the newly free space could be used for additional berths or passenger amenities. The original idea was to develop a vessel that could act as both lifeboat and life raft, which could be packed away on board a ship, requiring less space than conventional lifeboats. “We were coming up against people wedded to diesel, but the market is now changing and there’s a lot of focus on emissions, so we have created something that is non-polluting.”Ĭonvincing the maritime industry that electric was a viable alternative is not the only challenge the company has faced. “It is a very innovative market, but it is also a very conservative market,” explains Niels Fraende, Viking’s vice president of cruise and LifeCraft. Lifeboats have always been simple, using a basic means of propulsion to get people safely away from a distressed ship, and the maritime industry has never felt the need to change. It took 10 years to develop, and not only newly combines a lifeboat with a life raft, but offshore safety specialist Viking has also opted for an all-electric propulsion system, which has created a splash in a sector wedded to the tried and tested. Bobbing about in the North Sea, facing waves more of than 4m (13ft) – 50% higher than its heavy-weather testing requirements – the Viking LifeCraft system represents a completely new approach to safety vessels.