Reflex Marine, the global expert in marine personnel transfer, revolutionised the safety of offshore workers ten years ago with the introduction of the Frog, which has been used to carry out millions of safe crane transfers globally.
Today, Reflex Marine announces the launch of the new TORO™ personnel transfer capsule, which is expected to further enhance the safe use of crane transfers globally. Listening and learning from its clients, passengers and regulatory bodies has allowed the company to develop an innovative transfer device to meet the needs of the market. The response from prospective users to date has been extremely positive.
Philip Strong, managing director of Reflex Marine, said: “The TORO marks a significant milestone for the company and the industry generally. For over a decade, we have been committed to providing safer transfer solutions. Our existing clients encouraged us to develop a new generation device, which would be more cost effective and convenient to use. The aim was to make it accessible to more operators, whilst still maintaining a very high level of protection.”
“The Frog will remain a key part of our product range, especially for clients operating in highly challenging environments. However, we believe the TORO will increase the overall adoption rate of higher specification equipment and globally will protect more workers from unnecessary injury.”
The TORO can carry up to four passengers, protecting them from side impact and heavy landings, and is buoyant and self-righting, just like the Frog. The TORO’s ergonomic seat design will allow it to be used without seatbelts (subject to company policy and local legislative requirements) and the arrangement of the seating will permit fast loading and unloading of personnel. The TORO, which fits into a standard shipping container, has been optimised for shipping and storage.
The TORO will be certified with CE marking and ABS type approval. Reflex Marine is planning an inaugural launch event for the TORO in January 2009 in Aberdeen. It will then be demonstrated at selected locations around the world, details of which can be found on Reflex Marine’s website.