Sea Ranger shortlisted for IMRF award
South Africa’s Sea Ranger Jetrib, a new generation surf rescue vessel, has been shortlisted as a finalist for the International Maritime Rescue Federation annual awards due to take place later this month.
The 4.2m GRP composite Sea Ranger is a marriage between a Rigid Inflatable Boat and a Personal Watercraft, produced by Cape Town yard Admiral Powercats and marine dealership Droomers Yamaha in conjunction with the NSRI. It is designed to be a game changer in the field of surf and swift water rescue.
Admiral Powercats plans to launch a recreational version of the hybrid vessel with a view to making inroads into the superyacht tender market and fishing and big-wave surfing communities.
Admiral MD Alan Geeling said the shortlisting was good news for the local boat industry. “The entry (for the IMRF awards) is under the National Sea Rescue Institute on the basis of the game-changing ability this new category of craft is giving them in the area of surf, inshore and rapid water rescue,” Geeling said. “This product is 100% South African – conceived, designed, prototyped and manufactured right here and is a credit to our collective abilities in the marine field. Receiving this level of recognition from the IMRF is indeed an honour for the team and our maritime community. All credit to the NSRI for believing in us and committing to the development and on-going rollout to their fleet around the country,” he said.
The South African Boat Builders Export Council this week welcomed news of the IMRF shortlisting.
Due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic this year’s IMRF awards cover both 2020 and 2021, due to be announced on September 14. In a statement on the IMRF website the organisation’s chief executive Theresa Crossley said: “The IMRF Awards this year are special, firstly because of the global pandemic – the eligibility period spanned two years and our Awards ceremony on 14 September will be an online event; and secondly because, despite all the challenges search and rescue teams around the world have faced over the last two years, we have received our strongest set of nominations yet.”