Viking acquires container fire specialist, HydroPen

Viking Life-Saving Equipment has acquired HydroPen which has developed the container fire-fighting system HydroPen^TM. Both companies are based in Denmark.

HydroPen, now installed on a significant number of container vessels, works by attaching a nozzle to a ship’s hose, which is then raised on a telescopic arm by a single crew member. Water pressure provides the power for the ‘drill and spray’ nozzle to penetrate a container door, before applying water, foam or CO₂ in spray form directly to the source of the fire.

The acquisition follows a series of container fires at sea which have resulted in costly damage to ships and, in some instances, loss of life. Classification societies and marine insurers are increasingly concerned about the frequency of fires – nine were reported in 2019; ten in 2020. TT Club, a mutual transport and logistics insurance company, estimates that a container fire now occurs once every 60 days on average.

Henrik Uhd Christensen, Viking CEO, commented: “We are integrating HydroPen into our portfolio in another evolution of our full scope strategy for marine safety. The HydroPen system meets a specific and widespread industry challenge.”