Hutton’s Medical, the UK’s leading supplier of medical supplies to the maritime industry, is delighted to announce it is now authorised to supply first aid kits for life boats and life rafts.

Hutton’s Medical has been granted certification from Lloyd’s Register to supply the essential first aid kits, which are a mandatory item on all life boats and life rafts.

Now on sale, the new Hutton’s Medical first aid kits are available in European (for all EU-registered vessels) and SOLAS (for vessels registered throughout the rest of the world) formats.

John MacDonald, General Manager of Hutton’s Medical, says: “We have made this addition to our services in response to requests from our customers throughout the shipping world. We are pleased to have been able to source these competitively priced products which will meet our clients’ requirements and comply with maritime legislation.”

Headquartered in Hull, UK, Hutton’s Medical holds Home Office and Wholesale Dealer licences. Its team are fully conversant with the latest marine medical legislation and also provide ship inspections, stock replenishment and a global certification service for ship medical lockers.

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Hutton’s, the UK’s leading supplier to the marine industry, has been chosen to supply the fleet of Solstad Offshore AS throughout the UK.

Norwegian-based Solstad, a specialist in the offshore petroleum market, has signed an initial year-long contract with Hutton’s to supply its fleet of some 50 vessels and newbuilds currently under construction.

In addition, another Norwegian-headquartered maritime company, the DOF Group, has signed a two-year contract in place with Hutton’s to supply its 67 vessels and a number of new-builds under construction. The DOF Group is an international group of companies which owns and operates a modern fleet of offshore-/subsea vessels, and owns engineering capacity to service the subsea market.

Alex Taylor, Hutton’s Managing Director says: “These latest signings demonstrate that Hutton’s continues to go from strength to strength. With a history of more than 180 years of service to the maritime sector and a full complement of highly professional staff and specialist supply vehicles, we are able to meet our aim of ensuring our supplies are delivered in optimum condition to many of the world’s best known ships.”

95% of UK ports are within approximately two hours’ drive from a Hutton’s branch from which the company is able to offer:
• Increased range of products held on stock offering customers a wide selection of products including ethnic and specialist items.
• Larger stock holding of products which ensures that the goods are constantly available for customers and also provides Hutton’s with better buying power which in turn passes savings onto the customer.
• Rapid supply and distribution through our national network to all UK ports and continental Europe in temperature controlled vehicles.
• Fully Customs approved order processing for the storage of bonded products.

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Hutton’s, the UK’s leading supplier to the maritime industry, is to supply the first ship to dock at Milford Haven’s new terminal, the Dragon LNG Terminal.

When the Ceres LNG-owned Methane Lydon Volney docks this week Hutton’s will supply a full range of fresh and frozen provisions, cabin and galley consumables and technical goods.

Alex Taylor, Managing Director of Hutton’s, says: “It is exciting to be involved in a first like this and we look forward to a long association with the Dragon LNG Terminal.”

Hutton’s has recently begun operations in Milford Haven following its acquisition last month of Pan Europe Ship Supply Ltd. Hutton’s, which is one of the longest established ship supply companies with more than 180 years of service to the maritime industry, also supplied the first ship to arrive in Milford Haven’s South Hook LNG Terminal.

Dragon’s liquefied natural gas terminal consists of a jetty, storage tanks and regasification facilities combined with gas export capabilities for 365 days per year continuous operation. The terminal has the capacity to receive and unload up to 217,000 cubic metre capacity carriers in approximately 24 hours. Combined with the new liquefied natural gas storage tanks this will give a maximum gas send out rate to the NTS of 1,200,000 standard cubic metres per hour.

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Ship owners and managers are being urged to ensure their onboard hygiene practices are up to the task of tackling this summer’s super bugs.

As the cruise season peaks and with the potential that reports of stricken passengers will further damage the shipping industry’s global image, UK-based ship supplier Hutton’s advises that shipboard superbug outbreaks can be contained by following health industry advice carefully and implementing rigorous cleaning regimes to minimise the spread.

Hutton’s Medical General Manager John MacDonald says: “Enclosed environments like ships need to have very robust procedures in place to minimise the effects of superbug outbreaks. Most vessels will carry stocks of the popular commercial disinfectants but these are useless when dealing with Norovirus or any of the newer superbugs.

He advises: “We need to understand the difference between cleaning and disinfecting. Cleaning does not kill bacteria, viruses or spores. Ships need to use specific disinfectant agents to prevent the spread of superbug illnesses and to be aware that bugs like Norovirus can survive in carpets and upholstery but most powerful disinfectants can’t be used on these surfaces. However, there are suitable products available which can both clean and disinfect even difficult surfaces. The important thing to do is to check whether the product’s claims are backed by proper evidence of clinical testing. Another good guide is whether the product has a high rating from the NHS.”

A specialist ship supplier like Hutton’s, which is a member of the International Shipsuppliers and Services Association (ISSA) , is able to advise on the availability and suitability of effective disinfectant products.

“It’s so important to focus on hygiene and crew health in the shipping industry as a whole,” adds Mr MacDonald. “Many ships are staffed by small numbers of crew and there are serious potential consequences if everyone was to be ill at the same time,” he warns.

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Supplies of Tamiflu are in short supply as ship owners and managers rush to stock up in the wake of escalating cases of Swine Flu, warns leading UK ship supplier Hutton’s.

Ship owners trying to protect their ships and crews from a damaging and potentially dangerous on-board outbreak of Swine Flu are finding it hard to source limited supplies of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu and, when they do get hold of it, are finding prices hugely inflated, says Hutton’s Medical General Manager John MacDonald.

“There is a UK-wide problem with obtaining stocks of Tamiflu at present because of the quantity being stockpiled by the Government, and stocks in Europe are dwindling too,” he explains. “There are stocks of Tamiflu which date back to the Bird Flu outbreak two years ago but they are being sold at high prices and have sell-by dates which expire next year.”

Huttons is currently experiencing more than double the usual number of requests for Tamiflu although many enquirers baulk when they discover how expensive the drug has become due to the Swine Flu outbreak, says Mr MacDonald.

Crew health is an increasingly important issue in modern shipping, points out Mr MacDonald. “When you have several thousand tonnes of vessel carrying who knows what you don’t want to risk that coming to grief in the middle of the ocean because the crew is incapacitated,” he says. In addition, modern comforts such as air-conditioning on ships make it easier for viruses to spread once on board.

He continued: “Although it is not mandatory, larger companies have already done their own risk analysis and decided they need a plan to deal with a flu pandemic. Now smaller companies are starting to follow suit and encountering this supply problem.

“It’s not the first time Huttons have seen this situation,” he adds. “Some of the highly priced specialised medical products manufactured by large pharmaceutical companies are difficult for shipping companies to get hold of. That’s where we come in because we can do all the leg work for them and source the products – although, in reality, I don’t think it should be this difficult.”

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