Wilhelmsen Ships Service has opened its new service station in the Baltic Sea port of Szczecin in Poland and made its first delivery.
The station is now fully operational and has already delivered the company's first order for ten Unitor liferafts to an American cruise liner, fulfilling an order placed by Wilhelmsen Ships Service's United States office in Jacksonville, Florida.
The liferafts were delivered during the vessel's port call at Gdynia, Poland, on August 19, 2010.
Following an audit by the liferafts' manufacturer, the Szczecin office received approval to service liferafts from the Polish Maritime Authority. The service station has now been geared up for taking orders since the beginning of August, for all Polish ports, including Szczecin, Swinoujscie, Police, Gdansk and Gdynia.
The cruise liner is one of several which belong to a company that has signed an agreement with Wilhelmsen for the Liferaft Exchange Scheme.
The Szczecin service centre now has permission to offer full services on Unitor liferafts and also inspection of immersion suits and lifejackets. It is expected that the service station will handle at least 40-50 liferafts per month.
Wilhelmsen Ships Service's liferaft rental concept makes pricing predictable for customers through an annual rental fee that makes operational budgeting easier. The company also monitors liferafts' due date.
