Through the acquisition, the innovative fire extinguishing system for container fires is fully integrated into VIKING's one-stop product range of maritime security solutions.
VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has acquired HydroPen, the company behind the unique HydroPen fire-fighting equipment for container fires, which has been delivered to hundreds of ships.
Hydropen
HydroPen's rapid spread is due to the system's combination of innovation, efficiency, and ease of use. The system is mounted on one of the ship's fire hoses and hoisted up by means of a telescopic arm by just a single crew member. The water pressure alone drives the system's drilling and spray nozzle, which pierces the container door, after which it switches to spray function and extinguishes the fire with water, foam, or CO2 directly at the source.
HydroPen was founded in 2016 by Martin Winkel, CEO, and Jesper Rosenfeldt Hansen, CTO and system inventor. The goal was to revolutionize firefighting work on board container ships using innovative, safe, and user-friendly technology.
Acquisition
HydroPen has aroused interest among land-based firefighters who have been quick to see the value of the system Around the same time, there was a growing need for solutions in the industry. In 2019, nine major container ship fires were reported, followed by 10 incidents in 2020, and the foremost insurance company in transport and logistics, TT Club, estimates that, on average, a container fire occurs every 60 days. The International Union of Marine Insurance has called for improvements in ship design and firefighting equipment on board ULC ships.
The acquisition also follows in the wake of a fire aboard a 4,200 TEU container ship off Malaysia in April, in which 50 local firefighters were deployed after the ship returned to the port of departure and anchored.
Hydropen's worth in firefighting situation
"This is an important acquisition for VIKING and for the safety of the container ship industry," says Lasse Boesen, Senior Product Manager at VIKING. "We contacted the men behind HydroPen shortly after the system won the Danish Tech Challenge Entrepreneurship Award in 2017. From the system's official launch at SMM in 2018, VIKING became the sole distributor of HydroPen, which was to support orders from some of the industry's biggest names."
"Once a crew has become acquainted with HydroPen, there is no going back - and since its introduction, the system has already shown its worth in real firefighting situations. Recently, HydroPen has also aroused interest among land-based firefighters who have been quick to see the value of the system," adds Lasse Boesen.
Best Firefighting safety product
"We are integrating HydroPen into our product range as a further development of our comprehensive strategy for maritime safety," says Henrik Uhd Christensen, VIKING's CEO.
"The HydroPen system addresses a specific challenge and a widespread safety problem in the industry, while harmonizing with VIKING's role as an innovation leader and trusted safety partner, further underlined by the fact that the system has won the Safety at Sea award for best fire fighting safety product."
The two people behind HydroPen, Martin Winkel and Jesper Rosenfeldt Hansen, are both delighted to see VIKING carry the baton further in the marketing of HydroPen.
Most innovative Technology
"VIKING and HydroPen have had a completely exceptional collaboration from the outset," says Martin Winkel.
"Creating innovation with the aim of saving human lives is the very core of what we wanted to achieve with HydroPen, and we are convinced that our invention is in good hands at VIKING. Together we have succeeded in positioning the HydroPen system as the industry's most innovative technology for extinguishing container fires, and we look forward to following the further journey, both as active stakeholders in the transition period and in the future."
