Viking Yachts subsidiary Atlantic Marine Electronics last week at the Palm Beach International Boat Show announced that it is now the exclusive distributor of Dinnteco International’s DDCE line of lightning suppression systems in the U.S., Mexico and Costa Rica.
“We’ve seen an increase in both the occurrence of lightning strikes and the severity of damage that’s being done in the marine environment,” AME general manager Todd Tally said in a statement. “As ship systems become more sophisticated and interconnected, lightning strikes are having a greater impact.”
Dinnteco, based in Spain, has more than two decades of experience in lightning protection. Its electromagnetic charge compensation device works by continuously neutralizing onboard electric charges.
“Ultimately, the DDCE is a balancing device and a compensator of variable electric fields,” said Tally. “It’s constantly collecting the ions from the atmosphere and bringing them to ground while avoiding the creation of an ‘upward leader,’ which would result in a lightning strike.”
Atlantic Marine Electronics will be installing the system on new Vikings in its role as master dealer, and on the next Viking demo boat, a Viking 80. The company also announced a desire to develop relationships with the right partners, who could become dealers.
