10,000th Unitor Liferaft Enters Exchange Programme
A major milestone in its Liferaft Exchange Programme (LRE), the 10,000th Unitor liferaft has joined Wilhelmsen Ships Service‘s liferaft rental fleet. The LRE concept, which exchanges service-due liferafts for operational ones, takes better control of costs and reduces the chance of getting caught out by unforeseen service dates and costly weak links in the supply chain. The solution was developed as a result of customer requests.
“This is a significant achievement for a service which was launched just over two years ago and now benefits over 2,300 vessels globally”, explains Dave Evans, Business Manager for Safety at Wilhelmsen Ships Service. “The advantages of Wilhelmsen Ships Service Liferaft Rental service help ship owners to manage their vessels more efficiently and give peace of mind to their operation. They won’t miss liferaft servicing due dates, and besides, the fixed price is good for budgeting purposes.”
Service Station Growth
During 2010 additional liferaft service stations were added around the world, taking the total to 42 stations covering 632 ports worldwide, to meet the demand of over 500 customers. The growth of the company’s liferaft service stations not only benefits customers, by increasing the number of exchange ports, but is also enabling the company to broaden the scope of the exchange concept with additional products and services for the future. “The Wilhelmsen Ships Service LRE concept has proved itself in terms of improved cost control, timely provision of certified rafts on board, and simplicity of operation”, summarises Dave Evans. “Innovation is key in today’s markets to give owners and fleet managers flexibility for service options as well as ensuring costs remain predictable. Customers also benefit from longer term advantages of not having to replace aged liferafts. Wilhelmsen Ships Service operates a modern fleet of liferafts, so rental programme customers will always receive a serviceable unit.”