Viking Cruises are creating onboard test laboratories in order to screen passengers and crew daily.
In the solution lies sensor technology from Raa Labs, a leading Norwegian technology company.
In addition to having a COVID-vaccination requirement for all passengers and crew members, Viking is also the first and only cruise company to have built full-scale PCR labs onboard their ocean and expedition vessels. All passengers and crew are tested daily and Viking’s medical team is able to get the results quickly. Without the onboard PCR laboratories, there is no way to determine the results while on the move.
The Viking Health & Safety Program was created in partnership with a team of medical advisors, including Viking’s Chief Health Officer Raquel C. Bono, M.D. who is is a board-certified trauma surgeon and retired Vice-Admiral of the USA.
Each PCR lab contains equipment and chemicals needed to conduct test analysis. The components are kept in freezers and refrigerators and stored at correct temperatures, which is a vital part of the safety and hygienic requirement Viking Cruises are abiding by.
Raa Labs, via their digital system RaaEdge, gathers data from wireless sensors onboard, making it available for real-time monitoring. The onboard/onshore personnel have dashboards showing humidity and temperatures, including a live view of the condition of freezers and refrigerators.
Vessel steel is thick and it is a challenge to pass through for most wireless signals. The RaaEdge infrastructure makes it possible to retrieve signals from around the ship despite physical challenges and organize everything in the cloud, giving the cruise line unique access to information on what's happening on its assets in real-time.