The RNLI Engineering Department is the winner of the inaugural Maritime Safety Award from the Royal Institute of Naval Architects and Lloyd’s Register.

The award recognises the ‘innovation and technical excellence’ of our engineers and naval architects. The official nomination for the award reads: ‘RNLI boats go to sea when others are seeking shelter and therefore enter a hostile, dynamic environment not normally catered for in design criteria for workboats up to 20m in length.’

The RNLI Engineering Department has therefore had to come up with its own safety standards, as those in existence in the commercial world didn’t go far enough.

The award recognises:
• the department’s development of composite materials capable of enduring the stresses placed upon a lifeboat in extreme conditions
• a focus on crew safety. The boats could withstand the heaviest seas, but could the crews strapped inside? Specially designed
seats and a computerised control system help make rescues safer than ever for our volunteers
• the efficiency with which our lifeboats are built – quickly and cost-effectively without compromising on safety and reliability.