VIKING expands its global safety solution with onboard training

A group of IT entrepreneurs with a background in marine and crew training and a unique product caught the attention of leading marine and fire safety equipment manufacturer VIKING Life-saving Equipment A/S. This is the latest addition to VIKING’s growth strategy.

SAATSEA, now renamed as VIKING Saatsea, addresses the need of shipowners and operators to continuously train their crew by offering a combined solution that manages planning and implementation of onboard training as well as the documentation. Through the online training system, the crew can complete and register module- based theoretical and practical assignments, with immediate, up- to-date competency assessments for marine and offshore inspections — without administrative hassles.

One example, is the mandatory requirement for annual onboard training of all Emergency Rescue and Recovery Vessel (ERRV) crew on vessels operating out of Denmark, Norway and the UK.VIKING Saatsea is the first in the world to offer a system that manages both onboard training and documentation. The cloud-based mobile solution ensures that the system always works, even when the vessel is not on the internet. The information is synchronized automatically whenever the vessel has the opportunity to come online.

The system is also designed to manage the coming regulatory requirements for documentation of STCW refresher courses for all IMO vessels.

VIKING CEO Henrik Uhd Christensen is enthusiastic about the new addition to VIKING’s customer capabilities and believes it lines up well with his company’s strategic priorities. “We’re always on the lookout for anything that can make doing business easier for our customers while improving safety onboard the vessels,” he said. “This addition to the VIKING portfolio has the potential to positively influence customer financials as well as

safety. Increased involvement in other aspects of the safety process is fully in line with the company vision: when it comes to safety, think VIKING.”

The entrepreneurial group behind the unique system, all of whom have maritime backgrounds, is a prime example of the knowledge-based community currently adding fuel to Esbjerg’s stature as an “Energy Metropolis”. Director Kim Baarsøe is candid about his company’s early interest in VIKING as a

launchpad to bring the young company to the next level.

“First and foremost, we are a team of solution developers. To take things further, we needed the help of a partner where we could become part of a broader solution,” he commented. “And VIKING has always stood out for us as a global company that has the worldwide reach we could leverage, as well as an end-to-end quality approach right across the value chain. Matching our solution to that level of quality at every

stage of its delivery is, I believe, crucial to our ability to succeed.” Henrik Uhd Christensen agrees.“VIKING Saatsea is a knowledge-based company, which is entirely in line with developments we’ve seen within the larger VIKING group. This team has in depth knowledge about an area important to our business.They think out of the box – and they’ve built a great solution. Now, with the VIKING brand and global presence, we can help them expand in the global market far faster than would otherwise have been possible.”

“We’re pleased, too, to be able to support yet another growing business founded in the dynamic environment of the marine and offshore sector here in Esbjerg,” he added.

ABOUT VIKING SAATSEA

Headquartered in Esbjerg, Denmark,VIKING Saatsea develops and delivers a marine competency management and training system (CMTS) that address the need of marine and offshore owners and operators to train and manage the planning and documentation. The company is also authorized to conduct assessment onboard ERRV Vessels against the OPITO Approved Standard for OODTP.