-PRESS RELEASE-

Norway’s Miko Marine has opened a subsidiary in Morgan City, LA. from where it will be able to supply ship operators and salvage companies throughout the United States with its unique range of products. The company is already widely known for its magnetic patches that have been used to prevent ships sinking on numerous occasions around the world. These are often used in conjunction with Kevlar reinforced flexible patches that create a durable water tight seal where ships’ hulls have been damaged by collision or grounding. Miko also produces high-power permanent magnets that can be used in conjunction with the patches while also having innumerable uses above and below water.

Miko Marine USA LLC is now operating under the supervision of general manager Jack Vilas III who is widely known in the Louisiana maritime community. Jack Vilas Associates had been Miko’s US agent before he joined the company full-time and he will now be the first point of contact for anyone needing Miko products whether in an emergency or simply to acquire new stock.

The responsibilities of Jack Vilas will also extend to the promotion of two of Miko’s latest products that are about to become available on the US market. The ShipArrestor is a type of large sea anchor that can be deployed by a helicopter onto a ship drifting without power or crew. While halving the rate at which the tanker or other vessel is drifting ashore, ShipArrestor establishes a tow-line and creates time for it to be reached by a rescue tug before the disastrous consequences of a grounding incident can arise. The newest product from the Miko design centre can also be expected in the USA quite soon. The Moskito is a device that can cut a hole in the fuel or cargo tank of a sunken ship and attach a hose so that it can be emptied without the escape of any oil or other pollutants.

Miko Marine was established in Oslo, Norway, in 1997 and is now known as a design hot shop specialising in the invention and manufacture of products aimed at preventing ocean pollution. Staffed by a small team of highly qualified designers the company is known for its lateral thinking and its ability to find original solutions to some of the marine industry’s most pressing problems.

-ENDS-