What's the purpose of this craft?

Cruise ship passengers are accustomed to the many tenders stowed over their heads as they stroll one of the mid-level decks. They're the little boats that ferry vacationers from the cruise ship to shore at ports where no piers are located. They are also the ship's lifeboats.

This curious little craft is new to us. Island Princess has two of these Norsafe AS Rescue boats built by Norcraft of Arendal, Norway. They are totally battery powered, very speedy and quite seaworthy. In heavy seas, should the boat become capsized, it's design forces it to upright itself in seconds.

Picture this: In the event of a Man Overboard alarm, the ship makes an immediate turn to begin rescue operations. Vessels the size of cruise ships, however, require a very large diameter circle, requiring lots of time for the maneuver. Enter the Norsafe. These boats can be launched and in the water within three minutes of the alarm, and then can speed directly back along the ship's wake path toward the rescue point. The whole idea is to have a victim out of the water as quickly as possible and returned to the ship.

It certainly wouldn't be much fun to witness an actual rescue, but several of us are hoping to see a practice run some time during this cruise.