Marine and fire safety equipment manufacturer Viking Life-Saving Equipment has announced it is opening four servicing stations at Brest (France), Split (Croatia), Kaohsiung (Taiwan) and Port Klang (Malaysia). The new ports further expand the company’s already dense network of stations in Europe and Asia.

The new facility at Split, on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, is the first Viking-owned station in Croatia. One of the sunniest ports in Europe, the Port of Split is also one of Croatia’s most important centers for both local and international ocean-going trade. The station, which is located in premises that have been completely refurbished for servicing purposes, will provide certified servicing for liferafts, marine evacuation systems (MES), lifeboats, davits and release hooks (LBS), and immersion suits.

Viking’s new Brest, France, servicing station, lying at the crossroads of numerous north-south and east-west sea routes and serving one of Europe’s foremost food industry areas, will offer the same capabilities as its Croatian counterpart, similarly operating in custom-built premises.

Kaohsiung, Taiwan, was in 2009 rated as the world’s 12^th most important container port by the American Association of Port Authorities. It is the biggest port in Taiwan and an important international hub in the whole Asia Pacific region. It has been a long-standing priority to open the new Viking facilities in Kaohsiung and it will also offer the full range of certified servicing capabilities.

The latest addition to the company’s Malaysian presence was in fact established on the basis of direct customer feedback. Located at Port Klang, the fourth facility introduced in the latest wave of expansion is the result of Viking’s strategic emphasis to keep in close touch with its customers.

The Port Klang and Kaohsiung facilities are also part of the global Viking Exchange network and will provide liferaft servicing where the emphasis is on convenience and rapid turn-around.

“Listening and responding to customers is key to the continued success and growth of any business,” says Henrik Uhd Christensen, Viking’s CEO. “At the same time, Port Klang is Malaysia’s largest and busiest port and a natural choice for a focused service offering that answers the needs of many of our customers operating in the area”.

The new servicing stations in Split, Brest, Kaohsiung and Port Klang stations all form part of Viking’s strategic push to expand its worldwide network, now numbering over 60 branch offices and 270 certified servicing points, and the number will continue to grow at a constant rate.