Mullion - Experts & Thought Leaders

A new life jacket that will increase survival time in cold water has been developed jointly by one of the UK’s largest port operators and a specialist safety supplier. The personal floatation device has been two years in the making, filling a gap in the market for marine pilots, and could be rolled out to other workers in water-based roles. Peel Ports Group – working in partnership with Mullion Survival Technology, a producer of marine safety equipment – developed the jacket after undertaking an audit of similar products available on the market and concluded that existing jackets would not protect against the threat of cold-water shock. Marine safety equipment Following two years of research, prototype testing, and end-user consultations, the pilot jacket is now rolling off the production line, with Liverpool Pilotage Services Limited (LPSL) receiving the first order and Marine teams across Peel Ports Group expecting their jackets in the coming weeks. A selection of other major ports and offshore companies has also tagged onto Peel Ports’ initial order to test the jacket. The launch of the new pilot jacket forms part of a wider project led by Peel Ports Group’s Marine team The launch of the new pilot jacket forms part of a wider project led by Peel Ports Group’s Marine team to review the end-to-end process of boarding and landing of personnel to and from ships. As well as the design and production of a new pilot jacket, the project has led to the development of a brand-new pilot ladder safety training course that is now being recognised by other major ports, and the introduction of regular ‘wet’ safety drills. Next-generation marine safety jacket Nicole Read, Group Marine Projects Manager at Peel Ports Group said: “It has been fantastic to lead this innovative project, which represents an important step in further improving safety standards for marine pilots.” “The project involved listening to the needs of marine pilots and providing them with solutions and technologies that mean that if they are faced with an incident, they know they are safe. We’re very pleased to have developed a next-generation marine safety jacket, with three prototypes created over the course of two years in order to perfect the final product.” Many innovative features The device features a 150N integrated automatic life jacket, an AIS personal locator beacon The jacket boasts many innovative features, including some inspired by protective clothing encountered by Nicole Read when climbing and mountain biking, such as a helmet-compatible hood and back protector. The device features a 150N integrated automatic life jacket, an AIS personal locator beacon, and neoprene seals at the neck, waist, and wrists to reduce the threat of cold-water shock. Gary Doyle, Group Harbour Master at Peel Ports Group said: “I am delighted with the way this project has developed as a collaborative venture with Mullion. The intent was to improve safety and manage the impact of cold-water shock as much as possible. After extensive trials, it is pleasing to see that we have achieved this.” Tim Meakin, Northern Regional Sales Manager for Mullion said: “It has been a pleasure to work with Nicole Read on this exciting project. She has devoted many hours, along with her partners in the industry, to help develop a product which we feel sure will set new standards in marine safety. Her input is hugely valued.”

Mullion’s core business will always remain protecting people at sea. However, fighting climate change is a subject that is also dear to their hearts. Therefore, they are pleased to announce that their Romanian manufacturing plant, Siorom, has obtained the CO2-Neutral® label. They have reduced the plant’s carbon footprint and they support a forest conservation project. An external auditor, CO2logic, has calculated the corporate carbon footprint related to their Siorom activities. Thanks to their research, they received an overview of their daily operations and energy expenses at Siorom. In addition, they identified the strengths and possible improvement areas and they identified KPIs. Certified climate projects Mullion reduced the plant’s carbon emission as much as possible Sioen then calculated Siorom’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), which was verified by CO2logic. Mullion reduced the plant’s carbon emission as much as possible, and to become fully CO2-neutral, they counterbalanced the remaining CO2 emission by offsetting it. The CO2-neutral® label, the Siorom plant received ‘guarantees that labelled organisations are actively calculating, reducing and compensating their local and global climate impact’. It is based on the PAS2060 standard. Let’s start by making clear what offsetting is. When a company in itself isn’t CO2-neutral yet, it has the opportunity to offset the CO2 emissions by supporting certified climate projects. They chose to support a forestry climate project in Sierra de Lacandon, Guatemala. The project’s main goals are forest conservation and indigenous communities support. In short, they help conserve 35 000 000 trees, protect 16 000 hectares and avoid 50 000 tonnes of CO2.