Southeast Asian airport boosts maritime rescue capability with SWIFT conveyor

A major Southeast Asian airport has installed Zelim’s SWIFT Rapid Man Overboard Rescue Conveyor on its new fast maritime rescue and recovery vessels, aiming to improve response in the event of an aircraft ditching near water.

The airport’s emergency services division, which operates a fleet of rescue craft, commissioned its first 40kn vessel in September. Live drills held in October tested the SWIFT system’s ability to speed up in-water casualty recovery.

“Airports situated close to water have a responsibility to be prepared for the unthinkable,” said Sam Mayall, Zelim’s CEO. “The SWIFT system presents an effective and proven solution to the challenges airports face following an aviation incident in the maritime environment.”

Waterborne rescues may be required in rare incidents such as a runway overrun or ditching. According to Mayall, the exercise drills showed SWIFT could recover “a significant number of casualties from the water in a matter of minutes, mitigating the risk of rescuer fatigue and casualty injury”.

The airport selected SWIFT following an innovation challenge to identify ways of improving mass-casualty recovery. Traditional methods often require physically lifting people from the water, raising the risk of strain and slowing rescues. SWIFT uses a mechanical conveyor to lift casualties – conscious or unconscious – on board in under a minute and can be operated manually or remotely in challenging sea states.

Zelim’s Chief Operating Officer, Stewart Gregory, said: “While emergency water landings are exceptionally rare, incidents such as the successful water landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River in 2009 highlight the importance of well-equipped and well-trained rescue teams in ensuring positive outcomes.”

The airport is also considering integrating Zelim’s ZOE Intelligent Detection system for enhanced situational awareness. Zelim reports “considerable interest” from other aviation operators and is in late-stage talks with a major European airport.

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