Viking lands third contract for Greek-built ambulance vessels

Like the earlier vessels, the Viking Norsafe Munin S-1200 units will be built in Greece. The latest deal, which follows a first order for three vessels and a second one for five more, will expand the coverage provided by Viking Norsafe vessels for emergency medical response and auxiliary healthcare services around the Greek islands. 

All of the earlier boats have now been delivered and, like them, the vessels will be built at a Viking boatyard 60 km south of Athens, near Thebes. The ships will have powerful twin diesel engines.

The contract was signed between the Greek Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Christos Stylianides, and John Georgiadis, Viking Life-Saving Equipment general manager, Greece. 

Viking will provide a turnkey service, Thomas Hestehave, director of marketing communications and e-commerce, told Seatrade Maritime News. This will include construction, installation of medical equipment, and delivery. The tender documents did not include any provision for new fuels, he said, but the engine rooms are large enough to enable modifications in the future. 

With a length of just over 11 m, the Viking Norsafe Munin S-1200 is the largest boat currently available from the company. It can operate safely in conditions up to Beaufort Force 8 and wave heights of four metres, reaching speeds of over 40 knots, and has an operating range of more than 300 nautical miles at full load and economical speed. 

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Its sea-keeping performance makes it suitable for a wide range of deployments, including search and rescue, fast patrol operations, boarding and inspections, diving support, and other workboat operations. 

The deal marks another step forward in the revival of Greece’s domestic shipbuilding and repair sector, a topic widely discussed at Posidonia earlier this month. Viking’s Hestehave believes the country is undergoing an investment boom.

“After several years of economic recession, many sectors like construction, tourism, and shipbuilding are developing rather well,” he said on 24 June. “The biggest shipyards in Greece like Elefsis, Hellenic Shipyards, Neorion, Chalkis, are all quite busy with repairs.”

The first vessel will be delivered in four months’ time, with one boat supplied every 45 days thereafter.