Survival Craft Inspectorate Plans to Open Two New Offices in North America

Survival Craft Inspectorate, a global provider of emergency marine evacuation systems, has acquired an industry-leading innovation widely used in the cruise ship industry and announced plans to open two new offices in North America.

The energy sector specialist expects these latest developments to add £10m (US$ 15.8m) to its turnover in the next three years.

The opening of new offices in Fort Lauderdale in the United States and St John’s in Canada will create 10 jobs.

Survival Craft Inspectorate has 90 staff based in Aberdeen, with a further 50 at offices in Great Yarmouth, Malaysia, Singapore, Western Australia, Norway and Houston in the United States.

Its acquisition of the RocLoc trade and assets, from St John’s-based Mad Rock Marine Solutions Inc, now gives the company enhanced access to the multi-million pound cruise ship safety market. Survival Craft Inspectorate has more than 20 years’ experience in the manufacture, inspection, testing and servicing of lifeboats, fast rescue craft, release mechanisms, winches and davits to international standards.

The patent-protected RocLoc hook system, combined with Survival Craft Inspectorate’s Safelaunch® lifeboat release system – an industry leader in the global oil and gas and merchant shipping sectors – strengthens the company’s place in the market ahead of new safety regulations coming into force in 2014.

Angus Campbell, Managing Director of Survival Craft Inspectorate, said: “The acquisition of the RocLoc release system, coupled with Safelaunch®, further enhances our recognised position as a market leader in the provision of one of the safest lifeboat release systems available.

“The addition of RocLoc is a significant one for the business. It gives us broader access to the cruise ship market not only in terms of sales of a product with a track record but also in the installation and maintenance of these systems.

“Our award-winning release systems put us in a strong position to address any serious and unacceptable health, safety and reliability issues associated with conventional lifeboat release systems for the marine and offshore industries.

“The expansion of the business in North America, the addition of RocLoc and further investment in safety solutions continues to move the company forward. As well as developing through organic growth, we would not rule out advancing through further acquisitions.”

Current turnover for the business is £15m (US$ 23.7m).

Survival Craft Inspectorate (Canada) Inc is to be based at St John’s, Newfoundland and will service clients in the Canadian market, including the recent contract win with Survival Systems Training Nova Scotia.

The division in the Hollywood area of Fort Lauderdale will focus on the cruise shipping industry. The company will be exhibiting at the prestigious Cruise Shipping Miami (March 12-15, 2012) conference at Booth 2549.

Derek Sinclair, Global Business Development Manager at Survival Craft Inspectorate, said: “Our solutions comply with current and forthcoming industry regulations and we will be highlighting this, and other benefits, at the Miami event which attracts 1,800 cruise line owners and operators.”

Survival Craft Inspectorate earned a Queen’s Award for Enterprise last year and was named winner of the 2011 Business Over Three Years accolade at the Enterprise North East Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise.

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World Maritime News Staff, February 20, 2012