Lockheed Martin and VIKING Life-Saving Equipment Norge AS announced today that they are teaming to provide a safer, more efficient and cost-effective, off-shore crew transfer system capable of operating in heavy sea conditions.

By combining Lockheed Martin's advanced hullform designs and VIKING Life- Saving Equipment Norge's patented embarkation systems, off-shore platform operators will be able to quickly and safely transport their work crews in all kinds of weather.

The enhanced performance of Lockheed's SLICE(R) vessel design and VIKING Life-Saving Equipment Norge's newest generation of Selstair will be linked by an innovative new transfer system. Selstair features a collapsible staircase that can be lowered either to sea or above sea for transfer to vessel and safe, controlled and convenient access. The new transfer system will make it easier for platform workers, maintenance crews and others to safely move between the transport vessel and the off-shore platform in less time than current maritime methods and at less cost than helicopter transport.

"Lockheed Martin is an innovator in developing fast, stable hullforms, and VIKING Life-Saving Equipment Norge is a world leader in developing embarkation, evacuation and safety equipment for the maritime industry," said Dan Schultz, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Maritime Security & Ship Systems line of business in Baltimore. "By coming together, our two companies will provide a solution that reduces the risk inherent in the transfer of personnel between a ship at sea and an off-shore platform."

"Our success depends on a team effort, with shared values and common goals," said Bjorn Tormod Akselsen, managing director of VIKING Life-Saving Equipment Norge. "Together we are committed to raising safety standards and determined to lead the way for a safer life at sea."

Based in Bergen, Norway, VIKING Life-Saving Equipment Norge has been a market leader in maritime safety, manufacturing and servicing life-saving equipment for passenger and cargo ships, offshore installations, fishing vessels, yachts and the defense and fire-fighting industries since 1960.

Lockheed Martin's business in Baltimore, MD is at the forefront of revolutionary ship design by inventing new technologies for military and commercial use that allow vessels to operate at high speeds with low motion in a seaway.

Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin