Global Survival Technology solutions provider Survitec has announced that its new Marine Evacuation System (MES) Life Ark has received full-type approval from classification society Bureau Veritas.

Certification of Life Ark, a helical slide-based MES for small to medium-sized passenger vessels, follows the successful completion of stringent design and evacuation trials required under the SOLAS Convention and the EU’s Marine Equipment Directive.

Protecting passengers and crew on  vessels with a freeboard height of up to 23 metres and passenger capacities ranging from 300 to 1,500 persons, such as ferries and expedition cruise ships, Life Ark builds on Survitec’s success and growing market share in the larger cruise ship market, where the company has installed some of the largest dry-shod MES systems on the most advanced cruise ships in the world.

Richard McCormick, AES and MES Product Manager at Survitec, said: “There is demand for an extended service MES solution with high functionality to serve the smaller passenger vessel market. We went back to the drawing board and took a fresh look at how we could adapt our cruiseship evacuation technology to meet the requirements of this market. Bureau Veritas Type Approval means that the smaller passenger vessel segment can now benefit from the same revolutionary helical slide-based MES used in the larger cruiseship segment.”

Andreas Ulrich, Global Market Leader Passenger Ships & Ferries, Bureau Veritas, said: “Marine Evacuation Systems have been proven as a safe and reliable means of survival and Survitec is one of the pioneers having developed such systems. BV is proud to have been chosen as a partner for the new Life Ark and has recently issued a MED TA certificate for the new system.”

Using the fully enclosed, dry-shod helical (spiral) slide design inherent to Survitec’s popular Marin Ark 2 MES and Seahaven AES, Life Ark ensures a safe, rapid and comfortable descent for people of all ages and abilities. There is no restriction on the size of individual users, and crew can ascend the slide to assist passengers if necessary.

Fully enclosed single and double helical slide options are available in an asymmetric arrangement. The Life Ark comprises self-righting approved liferafts for 50, 100, 150 persons, with SOLAS A, B and HSC emergency packs.

Inflation takes place automatically within 60 seconds and minimal crew interaction is needed during this phase. Multiple buoyancy compartments provide stability and safety in the most challenging sea conditions.