The Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society presented global technology solutions provider, Survitec, the inaugural MV Derbyshire Award in January 2023 for its Seahaven Advanced Evacuation System (AES).
Seahaven is the world’s largest inflatable lifeboat designed to evacuate up to 1,060 passengers in under 22 minutes while providing up to 85% additional deck space for cruise ship owners and operators to generate revenue.
Tony Jones, chair of the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society said: “The MV Derbyshire Award reflects the focus of the
Derbyshire families, and Survitec’s Seahaven inflatable lifeboat was chosen as the winner of the 2022 MV Derbyshire Award as it encompasses all that is important in developing solutions for safety at sea.”
The judges felt the world’s largest inflatable lifeboat solution was not just innovative, but that it challenged the previously held concepts of maritime safety, especially for mass evacuation. It is also a hugely visible and significant statement of the importance of saving lives at sea. Mr. Jones added: “This pioneering approach to maritime safety reflects the values of the Society, as it pushes the boundaries of life saving.”
Survitec VP, Innovation, Stewart Gregory, received the MV Derbyshire Award for Maritime Safety at Survitec’s Birkenhead offices on the banks of the River Mersey. Mr. Gregory, designer and inventor of the Seahaven AES, was accompanied by several other members of the team.
Receiving the award, Mr. Gregory said: “Over the past 100 years, at Survitec, we have demonstrated our commitment to innovation, investment and development of Survival Technology for those who rely and depend on it. We are extremely pleased to collect this award from the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society, recognising Survitec’s purpose; We Exist to Protect Lives.”
The annual award celebrates individuals, companies or organisations that have made an important contribution to maritime safety in
the North West of England region. The maritime safety award is named after the MV Derbyshire, a Liverpool ship that was tragically lost on 9 September 1980 during Typhoon Orchid, south of Japan. She is the largest British ship to have been lost at sea, with the deaths of 42 crew members, plus two wives. For decades, the MV Derbyshire families focused not just on justice for their loved ones, but on the wider issues of maritime standards and safety, seeking to ensure that no more innocent lives are lost at sea.
