Safety at a fixed price

New fixed price safety agreements from safety equipment manufacturer Viking Life-Saving Equipment are hoped to appeal to shipowners looking to control servicing expenses, streamline management and predict future costs.

The company says that fluctuating trade volumes, an excess of shipping capacity, sliding freight rates, piracy, and increasingly complex international and flag state regulations have become everyday realities for the shipping industry. The resulting bottom line pressure has shipowners looking not only for immediate savings, but also for contracts that can help accurately predict and manage future servicing costs.

To meet these needs, Viking has introduced the Viking Shipowner Agreement, which includes. options covering safety products, global servicing, single-source management, and financing in a variety of fixed price structures. The agreements have been designed so that they can be adapted to customer needs.

“In an unpredictable environment, the last thing you want is to be locked into an inflexible solution,” says Viking CEO Kjeld Amann. “So we?ve tried to think that into the scope and structure of our products and service agreements.”

Backing up its stated aim of protecting both people and business, the company is also making its extensive knowledge base more easily accessible to decision-makers seeking to fine-tune their marine safety strategies.

Amann adds: “We are privileged to have the largest dedicated network of marine safety service points as well as worldwide stock points. In a volatile market, our investment in setting up this network has turned out to be one of the best decisions we ever made. It gives us the flexibility and depth we need to be able to offer full safety packages with truly fixed prices.”