Press Release: Shipping major to equip fleet with HydroPen™ firefighting system, following supply agreement with VIKING Life-Saving Equipment.
One of the world’s leading shipping companies A.P. Moller – Maersk has opted for full-scale implementation of the unique and proven HydroPen™ system, designed for direct firefighting in stacked shipping containers onboard commercial vessels. The contract represents the single largest HydroPen™ order for VIKING Life-Saving Equipment – and will see systems delivered for the entire fleet of A.P. Moller – Maersk owned vessels.
The HydroPen™ is unique in the sense that it is driven purely by water pressure through an attached deck fire hose. When water pressure is activated, a turbine will drive the HydroPen™ drilling unit until it penetrates the container door, whereupon the system will spray water into the container to extinguish the fire directly at the source. In the case of a fire at height in the container stack, the HydroPen™ system can be deployed using a telescopic device. Beyond water, the system is compatible with foam or even CO2. Also, it is intuitive to use and requires only a minimum of training and maintenance.
“From having been involved in the early development phases to fully implementing the HydroPen™ system, A.P. Moller – Maersk has once again shown its uncompromising commitment to go beyond industry standards, to protect both its crews and its clients cargo and assets” said VIKING’s Anders Nørgaard Lauridsen, Senior Country Director, Baltic Sea.
An innovative yet proven system
Commenting on the unique benefits of the HydroPen™ system, which was brought to market to tackle the rising threat which container fires continue to pose to the industry, VIKING Product Manager Lasse Boesen comments: “Our experience has been that, once a leading container line appreciates the effectiveness of HydroPen™ as a firefighting tool, fleetwide adoption generally follows. Useable on or below deck, HydroPen™ has increasingly been recognized for its usefulness on board container ships of all sizes, and it has seen action in real situations. “Also, it has been winning plaudits ever since its launch in 2019 – and today, HydroPen™ is preferred by the most well-known names in container shipping for extinguishing fires in the stack”, Boesen said.”
Besides the system itself, the flexibility to train crew onboard ship or online is attractive to ‘top-tier’ customers, with digital training offered through the VIKING Safety Academy platform. The online HydroPen™ training option has obtained special praise from a panel of judges which chose the solution as the TT Club’s ‘Innovation in Safety’ award winner earlier this year.
