Why the need for OEM-involvement during annual and 5-yearly inspection?

Boat handling systems from Vestdavit are highly complex systems that are designed to work and perform under harsh conditions and last for a long-life span. Our customers, in many cases, consider the boat handling system and the ability to launch and recover small boats a crucial part of their operations. It is therefore utmost important that this system is treated with the correct attention to detail and with the correctly tested spare parts. Lifting people is not something that any boat operator should take lightly. It should be treated in the same way as all other equipment that holds the fate of human lives.

Rogue service providers

Unfortunately, there are many service providers that operate outside of the Vestdavit system. They believe the training and certification of approved technicians is something that can be done by any company that possess a davit. This is not true and there is a huge risk in letting these rogue technicians perform service or inspection on your davit. They do not have the proper training, nor have they gone through the documentation needed to be a certified Vestdavit technician. They often operate with certificates that look stunningly genuine and professional, but they are not! Please contact Vestdavit for credential verification.

Spare Parts

Spare parts from Vestdavit are tested and designed to fit in the greater picture of our boat handling systems. Even though there might be spare parts that look similar to the one we supply, they most probably did not go through the same testing and design requirements. There might be features that are not easily identifiable or visible. These features, whether it be certain surface treatments or prior material testing could be vital for the overall system performance and could cause malfunctions that transfer to bigger problems and eventually system failure and fatalities as the worse possible outcome.

Service

All boat handling systems are different in the ways they are deigned, built-up and intended to work. Vestdavit systems are advanced due to their highly set requirements of working conditions. The inner workings of a Vestdavit system cannot be compared to those of less complication that are designed for much calmer sea states or considerably lower frequency of usage. To have a boat handling system working day after day, year after year with many launch and retrievals per day possibly, there is a need for these systems to be inspected and serviced by service technicians that have in-depth knowledge about the specific system. All Vestdavit service technicians and service partners have gone through extensive training to obtain this insight. They are also working on Vestdavit systems every day, which is something that is not possible for a third-party service provider that deals with all different kinds of equipment and where there is no particular focus on the specifics of Vestdavit systems.

This important way of looking at OEM service providers is also something that is shared by THE MARITIME SAFETY COMMITTEE in their latest published document, MSC.402(96). Many of the requirements in this document is not only impossible for a third-party service provider to fulfill, but it would also be a breach on the SOLAS regulation.

1.5 The personnel carrying out maintenance, thorough examination, operational testing, overhaul
and repair (…) shall be certified by an authorized service provider (…).

7 REQUIREMENTS FOR AUTHORIZATION OF SERVICE PROVIDERS

7.1.1 (…) a manufacturer’s established certification program (…)
7.1.3 access to appropriate parts and accessories as specified (…)
7.1.4 availability of the manufacturer’s instructions for repair work (…)

8 REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFICATION OF PERSONNEL

8.2.1 Initial certification shall be issued only to personnel having completed education, training and competence assessment.

Please contact Vestdavit or our approved service partners to schedule an inspection or spare parts and make sure your davits are working as intended in a safe manner for many years to come.