VIKING Delivers Ambulance Boat for the Hellenic Coastguard
VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has delivered the first vessel in a series of three new ambulance boats for the Hellenic Coastguard.
For many years, the Coastguard and the Hellenic National Center for Emergency Care (EKAB) have worked together to support patient transfer requirements from the Greek islands to larger hospitals. Today, a call for transport services is almost a daily occurrence.
The new closed-cabin boat will be station in Naxos as the first in a series of special craft equipped with medical equipment. As the largest boat currently offered by VIKING, the VIKING Norsafe Munin-S1200 can carry 10 persons, all seated, while its 1,150-liter fuel tank supports a range greater than 350 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 35 knots. The S1200 is equipped with twin sterndrive Mercury diesel engines supplying a combined 740hp to enable a top speed of 45 knots at full load.
John Georgiadis, Managing Director of VIKING’s branch in Greece, said, “The S1200 is a high-performance vessel equipped to sustain essential emergency services even in my country’s most remote islands.”
The S1200 comes complete with shock mitigation technology, ensuring safe patient transport and allowing medical services to be provided in transit. Certified by RINA (Registro Italiano Navale), the boat operates safely up to Beaufort force 8 and at a wave height up to 4 meters. It also features latest generation, Lowrance-branded navigational equipment from Navico, while its onboard diesel generator powers air conditioning/heating with capacity of 26,000 btu/h.
The new S1200 design incorporates knowledge gained from its existing closed-cabin S1200 counterpart and has passed a series of tests involving user groups representing the Hellenic Coast Guard, border patrol, customs and other governmental authorities, said VIKING’s Endre Eidsvik, VP Sales, Boats & Davits.
“Crucially for this order, the design and construction of the boat have been found to meet the exacting requirements of the EKAB and the Hellenic Coastguard for a high-performance, low-maintenance boat that supports emergency support operations day and night, in all weather conditions,” Eidsvik said.