Van Aalst Group (Dordrecht, the Netherlands) can look back on a very successful debut in the North Sea offshore wind sector with the implementation of the North Sea One project using the unique SafeWay motion compensated offshore access system.
This follows the earlier operations in the oil and gas sector with successful transfers done at offshore platforms. The design for transferring personnel and cargo safely and efficiently from an offshore vessel to a structure is so revolutionary that SafeWay believes the gangway will be a ‘game changer’ in the offshore wind industry. The unique 28 m long walk-to-work is able to compensate for wave heights of up to 3,5 m on a standard 75 m long PSV hull, resulting in an operating window that can be significantly higher than other available systems in the market.
This first SafeWay gangway is currently installed on the 95 m long OCV ‘Olympic Intervention IV’, owned by Olympic Subsea ASA, Norway. The DP2 vessel offers accommodation and workspace to 100 passengers (POB) and is chartered by the German wind turbine manufacturer Adwen for maintenance activities at three different wind parks in the German sector of the North Sea. With significant wave heights up to above 2.8 m, 851 people transfers were carried out during 173 landings without any problem, including an additional 301 cargo transfers. The gangway incorporates a 3D compensated crane capability, for which the design includes a seperate winch to transfer up to 400 (or optional 1000) kg. This efficient transfer of equipment helps expedite the operational work flow as well.
Volker Buddensiek
News