A significant safety milestone has been completed at Incat Tasmania’s Hobart shipyard today, with the successful deployment of the Marine Evacuation System (MES) aboard Hull 096.

Supplied by fellow Tasmanian company Liferaft Systems Australia (LSA), the system forms a critical component of the vessel’s safety infrastructure and highlights the strength of local manufacturing capability supporting globally significant shipbuilding projects.

The deployment included three 22-metre inflatable evacuation slides, each connected to a 128-person open reversible liferaft, alongside an additional linked liferaft. Once fully equipped, the world’s largest battery-electric ferry will feature six MES units and 13 linked liferafts, providing a total liferaft capacity of 2,432 people.

Incat Chairman Robert Clifford said the deployment reinforced the company’s focus on safety.

“Safety is fundamental to every vessel we build at Incat. The successful deployment of the Marine Evacuation System on Hull 096 demonstrates the depth of engineering, planning and collaboration required to deliver vessels of this scale,” Mr Clifford said.

“We are proud to continue our partnership with another industry leading Tasmanian company in Liferaft Systems Australia to deliver world-class safety capability, showcasing the expertise that exists right here in our state.”

Liferaft Systems Australia Managing Director Mike Grainger said the milestone reflected a strong and enduring partnership between the two companies.

“Our long-standing relationship with Incat is built on a shared commitment to quality, reliability and passenger safety,” Mr Grainger said.

“Seeing these systems successfully deployed on a vessel of this size is a proud moment for our team and a testament to what Tasmanian industry can achieve together on the global stage.”

Today’s deployment forms part of an extensive testing and commissioning program that will continue in the lead-up to the vessel’s delivery to South America.
Source: Incat Tasmania