Vestdavit multi-boat handling system secures US patent

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(LAKSEVAG, Norway) — Vestdavit has secured a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for MissionEase, which protects the multi-boat handling system’s unique mode of operation from plagiarism.

Boat-handling specialist Vestdavit has developed MissionEase as a more efficient and safer transfer method for RHIBS, USVs and other craft within mission bays between their storage and the davit launch areas. Mission bays allow boats and other equipment to be stored, maintained, prepared and launched safely from a protected area within the ship’s profile.

MissionEase changes boat-handling within the mission bay by replacing overhead gantries with a system of deck-mounted, hydraulically-operated cradles. Developed for simplicity and cost effectiveness, the solution avoids the hazards of swinging loads when the ship is in motion, and slinging and unslinging, while also lowering the vessel’s center of gravity.

However, unlike previous solutions, MissionEase also includes a unique apparatus that allows boats moving forward along longitudinal rails to be delivered to cradle feeding davits on either side of the bay without any rails intersecting. This patented feature means that more boats can be handled more safely and more efficiently using fewer davits.

Already patented in Norway and with an application pending to cover all European Union territories, the U.S. patent provides decisive protection for the solution, which is as useful for cruise ship owners as it is to navies, coastal authorities, offshore support vessels and search and rescue craft.

For more information, visit www.vestdavit.no.

By Professional Mariner Staff