Survival Systems International

What Survival Systems International does

Survival Systems International (SSI) is a privately held maritime safety company that designs, manufactures, and services lifeboat systems for offshore oil & gas operators, commercial maritime fleet operators, and cruise lines. Founded in 1970 and headquartered in San Diego, California, the company traces its core product heritage to the Brucker Single Fall Lifeboat Capsule first designed in 1968. SSI's product portfolio includes the Single Fall Lifeboat Capsule (available in 21 to 80 person capacities), Twinfall Lifeboats, the patented Triple5LX Hook Release Mechanism (an inherently safe lift-over-center design certified to IMO MSC.402(96) that requires no hydrostat system), Enhanced Safety Kits, Life Rafts, Fast Rescue Crafts, and Jason's Cradle. The company operates an owned-and-operated service network across 9 global regions covering 40+ countries, with regional offices in Nigeria, Australia, Brazil, Malaysia, Mexico, the UAE (Abu Dhabi and Dubai), the United States, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

The company operates an integrated lifecycle business model combining OEM hardware sales with a comprehensive service suite. Services include annual and 5-year inspections, repairs and refurbishments (offering up to 60% savings versus replacement), load testing from 75kg to 55 tonnes, equipment rental, life raft recertification, pond testing, training, and dangerous goods services. Multi-brand certified technicians are authorized to service 74+ makes of lifeboats, davits, winches, and release gear. SSI holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 45001:2018, and AS9100D:2016 certifications, flag state approvals from six jurisdictions, and recognized organization approvals from all major classification societies (ABS, Lloyd's Register, Bureau Veritas, Class NK, RINA, DNV-GL, KR, MCA). The company's training manager served as project leader for ISO PAS 23678 parts 1-4, the international training standard for Life Saving Appliance service technicians.

SSI's go-to-market is enterprise field sales through dedicated regional teams engaging marine superintendents, vessel operators, and fleet managers. Pricing is quote-based, with Frame Agreements and Flat Rate Agreements available for ongoing service relationships, and a single-attendance option for one-off inspections. The company is founder-owned with no external institutional investment, no public listing, and no parent company. Cumulative operating metrics include over 2,200 offshore personnel safely evacuated in more than 60 emergency incidents, 2,000+ units in service across 30+ countries, and 10,000+ Twinfall lifeboat installations since the late 1980s.

Name

Survival Systems International

Legal name

Survival Systems International, Inc.

Website

https://survivalsystemsinternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Survival Systems International is a privately held maritime safety company that designs, manufactures, and services lifeboat systems — including Single Fall Capsules, Twinfall Lifeboats, and the patented Triple5LX Hook — for offshore oil & gas operators, commercial maritime fleets, and cruise lines across nine global regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Safety Equipment

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Life-Saving Appliances & Safety Equipment (Davit Systems, Lifeboats, Firefighting) (IMAJAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Piping, HVAC & Auxiliary Systems Repair (TLAKAKAH)

Keywords

• Offshore lifeboat manufacturing
• Maritime safety equipment
• Lifeboat inspection services
• Offshore evacuation systems
• Marine safety servicing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kenner

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Lifeboat Products Sales: Sale of new lifeboats including Single Fall Lifeboat Capsules (21-80 capacity), Twinfall Lifeboats, Triple5LX Hooks, Enhanced Safety Kits, Life Rafts, Fast Rescue Crafts, and related equipment.
2. Maintenance & Inspection Services: Annual and 5-year inspections, authorized inspection services with Class, Flag & OEM authorizations. Multi-brand certified technicians authorized to service 74+ makes of lifeboats, davits, winches & release gear. Service plans include Single Attendance, Frame Agreements, and Flat Rate Agreements.
3. Repair & Refurbishment Services: Lifeboat repairs and refurbishments extending field life of existing assets. Cost-effective alternative offering up to 60% savings vs replacement.
4. Load Testing Services: Certified water load tests from 75kg up to 55 tonnes for lifeboats, davits, cranes, beams, and hoists. Turnkey service from inquiry to certification.
5. Hire Equipment: Rental of lifeboats, winches, and load testing equipment with no contract, no minimum hire period, and no deposit required.
6. Life Raft Services: Life raft recertification and Easy XChange Liferaft programs with flexible payment tariffs including fleet rental or outright purchase options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Survival Systems International designs, manufactures, and services offshore lifeboat systems and maritime safety equipment. The company sells Single Fall Lifeboat Capsules (21–80 person capacities), Twinfall Lifeboats, the patented Triple5LX Hook Release System, Fast Rescue Craft, life rafts, and Enhanced Safety Kits. It also delivers certified annual and five-year inspections, repairs, refurbishments, water load testing, equipment hire, liferaft recertification, and competency training for offshore oil & gas operators, commercial maritime fleets, and cruise lines worldwide.

Product overview

Survival Systems International is a lifeboat manufacturing and servicing company offering a portfolio of maritime safety products and services. Core products include the Single Fall Lifeboat Capsule (the company's original and flagship product, available in 21-80 person capacities), Twinfall Lifeboats, and the patented Triple5LX Hook System. These are complemented by Life Rafts, Fast Rescue Crafts, Jason's Cradle, and region-specific products like Breathing Air Equipment and Portable Gas Detection in Australia. The company also provides comprehensive service offerings including Maintenance & Inspection, Repairs & Refurbishments, Load Testing, Hire Equipment, Pond Testing, Life Raft Recertification, and Training School. Enhanced Safety Kits (ESK) serve as add-on modules to existing SSI equipment. The products work together as an integrated safety ecosystem for offshore operators, with the Triple5LX Hook technology featured across multiple lifeboat product lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Triple5LX Hook System: Patented inherently safe lifeboat hook release mechanism; weight of boat keeps hooks closed when suspended above water; no hydrostat system required; allows hooks to be reset from helmsman's position; certified to IMO MSC.402(96) requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully evacuated over 2,200 offshore personnel in more than 60 emergency incidents
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RINAcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration to ensure the safety of life-saving appliances. RINA is a classification society providing type approval and certification services.
• American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)coreTechnology or IntegrationClassification society approval holder. Authorized to carry out inspections in compliance with SOLAS & MSC.402(96).
• Lloyd's Register (LR)coreTechnology or IntegrationClassification society approval holder. Authorized to carry out inspections in compliance with SOLAS & MSC.402(96).
• Bureau Veritas (BV)coreTechnology or IntegrationClassification society approval holder. Also provides ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001 certification for SSI.
• Class NKcoreTechnology or IntegrationClassification society approval holder. Authorized to carry out inspections in compliance with SOLAS & MSC.402(96).
• RINAcoreTechnology or IntegrationClassification society approval holder. Authorized to carry out inspections in compliance with SOLAS & MSC.402(96).
• DNV-GLcoreTechnology or IntegrationClassification society approval holder. Authorized to carry out inspections in compliance with SOLAS & MSC.402(96).
• Korean Register of Shipping (KR)coreTechnology or IntegrationClassification society approval holder. Authorized to carry out inspections in compliance with SOLAS & MSC.402(96).
• MCAcoreTechnology or IntegrationMaritime and Coastguard Agency approval for UK operations. Authorized to carry out inspections in compliance with SOLAS & MSC.402(96).

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Hensoldt: German defense electronics and sensor company with maritime safety/surveillance product lines. Broader than SSI's lifeboat focus but overlapping in marine safety equipment and classification society-approved safety systems.
• Palfinger: Austrian global leader in lifting solutions including marine deck equipment, davits, and cranes. Overlaps with SSI's davit and lifting systems business as part of broader marine equipment portfolio; broader industrial scope than SSI's lifeboat focus.

Emerging players

• Wuxi Rescue Marine Equipment: Chinese manufacturer of lifeboats, rescue boats, and marine safety equipment. Emerging competitor in commodity lifeboat categories with cost advantages; overlapping with SSI's manufacturing capabilities but typically competing on price rather than service depth.
• Jiangsu Huayan Marine Equipment: Chinese marine safety equipment manufacturer producing lifeboats, liferafts, and personal safety equipment. Comparable product portfolio to SSI's lower-end offerings, primarily competing in Asian markets and price-sensitive segments.

Direct peers

• Survitec Group: UK-based global leader in survival and safety equipment, with major lifeboat, liferaft, and marine safety service operations. Direct competitor to SSI in multi-brand lifeboat servicing across offshore and maritime segments, with broader scale and capital backing.
• Viking Life-Saving Equipment: Norwegian-based global manufacturer of liferafts, lifeboats, and marine safety equipment. Comparable to SSI's product portfolio (lifeboats, liferafts, evacuation systems) with similar SOLAS/MED certifications and global service network.
• Norsafe (Umoe Mandal): Norwegian lifeboat and fast rescue craft manufacturer with heritage in offshore evacuation systems. Direct competitor in the offshore oil & gas lifeboat segment, with comparable focus on SOLAS-compliant free-fall and davit-launched lifeboats.
• VIKING (Norway): Norwegian safety and survival equipment company with significant lifeboat and liferaft operations. Direct competitor across multiple product lines and global service markets, similar in scale to SSI's installed base and lifecycle service model.
• Schat-Harding (now part of Survitec): Historical lifeboat and davit manufacturer now integrated into Survitec Group. Direct competitor in davit-launched lifeboat systems, with heritage product lines that compete head-to-head with SSI's Twinfall and Single Fall designs.

Regional players

• Lifeboat Services Limited: UK-based lifeboat inspection, maintenance, and refurbishment service provider. Comparable business model to SSI's service operations but primarily serves UK and North Sea markets; competes with SSI's UK office (Montrose) for regional contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance18 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Survival Systems International