The Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology

Shipowners trust VIKING on safety

(Posted on 28/10/19)

For the last decade, the ‘VIKING Shipowner Agreement’ has been a widely recognised concept among commercial ship and offshore asset owners looking to gain safety related efficiencies by streamlining equipment sourcing, servicing and compliance.

With ‘Safety Management’ available at the top tier, VIKING is celebrating the anniversary of its strong agreement solution by taking the concept one step further - catering to the growing number of operators who see the large benefits to be gained from entrusting safety related matters to a single global expert.

“In the world of global maritime, safety is first. But to stay competitive in ever more challenging markets, we know that successful operators must continuously maximise efficiencies and reduce cost without compromising performance - even when it comes to safety”, says VIKING CEO, Henrik Uhd Christensen and continues: “You can trust VIKING to streamline and simplify all aspects of onboard safety and compliance. We replace complexity with flexibility and reduce administration and operational risk – freeing up resources to boost your core business.”

Successfully tested with select customers over the past year, VIKING is now broadly promoting the latest addition to its Shipowner Agreement concept. Called ‘Safety Management’, it’s an end-to-end solution that ads dynamic and digital service optimization on top of the premium safety products, proactive planning and expert service execution at fixed prices that has already seen agreements signed up for thousands of vessels - at a 98% contract renewal rate.

According to Henrik Uhd Christensen, VIKING has long been tracking a significant growth-trend in the demand for this type of concept in maritime and offshore safety: “More and more operators enquire about end-to-end solutions, where the bulk of safety and compliance related administration and risk is transferred to us, without renouncing flexibility, transparency and control. The word ’trust’ is key here, and with a global safety expert such as VIKING, who’s built up a decade-long track record delivering this type of solution, the decision to ‘leave safety with the experts’ is considered much less risky.”

Of course, not every operator is ready for Safety Management. Depending on several factors, such as sailing patterns, flag state, fleet size, composition and more, some shipowners remain best suited with one of the many other options under the Shipowner Agreement concept. Many operators start out with just one or two safety equipment types under agreement and sign up for more as the benefits are established. In fact, 70% of our customers expand their agreement within the first year – and this trend goes for both smaller fleets up to 10 vessels and for major global container carriers alike.

Following recent acquisitions of marine fire service assets and the renowned lifeboat and davit supplier Norsafe, the product and servicing setup available under the Shipowner Agreement umbrella has never been greater. “For instance, our upgraded multi-brand lifeboat service offering is second to none, and powered by OEM quality, we serve customers directly and at fixed prices in over 100 key ports worldwide – with the rest efficiently covered by flying squads. Beyond that, our agreement customers also get access to premium liferafts with extended service intervals, personal protective equipment exchange, marine fire equipment servicing and all other types of lifesaving appliances. Further powered by our state-of-the-art VIKING Safety Academy training facilities and 288 certified servicing stations, our customers can enjoy convenient access to the full-circle value chain that goes into ensuring 360° asset and crew safety at full compliance – from one supplier, globally!”