Bureau Veritas Marine and Offshore (BV) has issued a formal Review Attestation for Survitec’s Seahaven evacuation system, confirming its status as a novel life-saving appliance (LSA) under IMO Resolution A.520(13).
The attestation recognizes Seahaven’s position as an innovative safety evacuation solution for high-capacity passenger vessels, such as cruise ships.
The Seahaven system is engineered to evacuate up to 1,060 persons in less than 22 minutes through a fully integrated arrangement of two survival crafts and four helical slides.
Matthieu de Tugny, president of Bureau Veritas Marine and Offshore, said: “The Seahaven system introduces a powerful solution for passenger evacuation, meeting evolving maritime safety needs and paving the way for wider adoption.”
Claude Sada, chief operating officer at Survitec, said: “The endorsement by BV validates years of engineering, operational testing and consultation with ship owners and yards. This attestation is a milestone to broader market readiness.”
“It affirms not just the technical integrity of the system but its relevance to ship operators who need smarter, safer solutions that reduce complexity and improve survivability,” added Sada.
Survitec said in a press release that for the attestation, BV conducted an extensive technical review of Seahaven’s design, documentation, performance testing and supporting calculations to help ensure compliance with relevant regulations and requirements.
This process involved analyzing key design features and performance parameters.
The system demonstrated full compliance with evacuation and performance tests, including deployment in heavy weather conditions with sea states equivalent to Beaufort Force 6 and three-meter wave heights.
The system’s modular footprint allows for flexible installation on both newbuild and retrofit platforms, with a permitted installation height of up to 28 meters.
The attestation confirmed the craft’s endurance at 6 knots for 24 hours and the ability to tow a second fully loaded craft at 3 knots. Additional tests validated environmental resilience in both hot and cold extremes.
Survitec has developed extensive training plans, service documentation, and lifecycle support infrastructure to accompany Seahaven’s deployment, aligning with SOLAS Regulation III/20 for maintenance and periodic inspection.
Survitec added that it is engaging with customers and shipyards to advance Seahaven into early implementation projects.
Image: Bureau Veritas SVP for Western Europe and Americas, David Barrow (right), presents Robert Kledal, chief executive officer, Survitec, with the Review Attestation for Seahaven, the world’s largest inflatable lifeboat.
