A new distributor has been appointed for Pains Wessex marine distress signals in Norway.

Brude, which has a main office in the port of Ålesund, says it chose to represent Pains Wessex products because it is a respected brand and manufacturer Chemring Marine offers a complete package of services to distributors.

Brude, part of the Koppernæs Group, supplies marine distress signals to hundreds of marine vessels and to two-thirds of Norwegian liferaft service stations.

Annlaug Midtbust, Brude’s logistics manager, says, "There is strong competition on pyrotechnics in the Norwegian market, but Chemring Marine’s brands are well-known."

The Koppernæs Group was founded in 1884 as a ship’s chandler and fishing and hunting specialist. Since then, it has grown and it now has 280 employees across three continents. Brude has 50 employees at its main office and service stations covering the entire Norwegian coastline.

"Based on these traditions as well as experiences along the way, Brude has evolved into a pioneering global partner in maritime safety. Brude’s main business is supply, installation and service of complete solutions for maritime safety, including marine evacuations systems, rescue- and lifesaving equipment," says Annlaug.

Brude is strengthening its focus on the aftermarket business and plans in future to update its website at www.brude.no and increase its online offering of products and services.

Pains Wessex products have been helping to save lives for more than 100 years and is specified by the world’s navies, merchant fleets, fishing vessels, rescue services, airlines and leisure craft.

Manufacturer, Chemring Marine, based in Havant, UK, is part of the Chemring Group PLC and is the world’s leading supplier of SOLAS, MED & USCG-approved marine distress signals to commercial and leisure marine markets.

The company is at the forefront of campaigning for improved global marine safety regulations, including introducing standardised rules on replacing dated safety products.