VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has been declared the winning bidder in a tender covering three offshore high-speed ambulance boats that will support emergency services in the Aegean Sea. The international tender was concluded after a cooperation between the Hellenic Coast Guard and the Greek Emergency Response Organization(E.K.A.B), in an initiative supported and financed by the European Union under the INTERREG V-A Cooperation Program 2014-2020.

All three ambulance boats are scheduled for delivery during the summer of 2020, to take up station operating from remote Greek islands in the Aegean. The vessels will be fabricated using the successful VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 design and will be equipped with twin diesel stern drive engines to achieve speeds of up to 40 knots, as well as cutting-edge navigation instruments. The construction of the boats will take place at the VIKING Norsafe facility in Thiva - Greece. Following their delivery, VIKING will be responsible for technical support and maintenance. The boats will be equipped with twin stretchers, resuscitation devices and all the necessary medical equipment to help perform rescue operations, medical evacuations and other humanitarian missions under harsh weather conditions in cases of emergency.

This is the first time that the Hellenic Coast Guard has incorporated ambulance boats in its fleet and, if the project fulfills expectations, more orders could be on the horizon. “I would like to congratulate our team for their dedication and hard work in putting together this successful tender,” said John Georgiadis, Managing Director for VIKING Norsafe’s production facility in Greece. “We were up against some very tough competitors, but our team met the very stringent conditions to the satisfaction of the Hellenic Coast Guard.” Endre Eidsvik, VP, Sales & Service, VIKING Norsafe Boats & Davits, added: “This is a great tender to win, and an important milestone that will further strengthen our position in this market segment. Being based on the very successful VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 design, these boats will be highly maneuverable even in rough sea conditions with low freeboards to help with rescue operations.”