The saying goes that “you can’t put a price on safety”.
But here’s the reality: to comply with the latest safety regulations, there is usually a significant investment, and at times, it can seem pretty extortionate.
Take the example of one of the marine operators we work with.
He needed to upgrade to SOLAS compliant double skin fuel pipes, and for their inline 6-cylinder engine (375hp) they were quoted a price of €6,000.
Granted, there would have been some additional design work required in order to accommodate the additional diameter with the outer pipe, but still, it’s a ludicrous quote, and quite sensibly, they decided not to accept it and asked us for some advice.
Here’s the alternative we provided the client, saving them over 50% in the process:
Now there’s no doubt that double-walled fuel pipes have reduced engine room fires dramatically, but the fact of the matter is that there are companies looking to exploit this and other classification requirements.
Which just emphasises the importance of shopping around and thinking laterally…
Do you feel you are being exploited to satisfy the latest regulations?
