Increasing investments in offshore windfarms continue to generate demand for motion-compensated gangway systems
In Asia, Taiwan has emerged as an offshore wind bonanza, driven by the government’s pledge to add 5.5 GW of new offshore wind capacity by 2025 and a total of 20.5 GW by 2035. While this rapid development will underpin the country’s energy security and local industrial development, efficiency and safety must be primary elements. Sophisticated, motion-compensated Walk-to-Work (W2W) gangway systems are key elements in safely transferring workers from point A (usually a sea-tossed vessel) to point B (offshore wind turbines, oil and gas platforms, substations, etc).
“Taiwan’s offshore wind sector is set to grow tremendously in the next few years as its 20.5 GW target for 2035 will require an average of 1.5 GW of wind power to be built yearly. It is essential to maximise the efficiency of construction projects in as safe a way as possible,” said Ampelmann.
“Taiwan’s offshore wind sector is set to grow tremendously in the next few years”
In October, the Dutch W2W technology specialist signed another four contracts in a six-month period with different (end) clients to supply its systems in Taiwan. Two E1000s and two A-types were recently mobilised in Taiwan. These systems assisted construction, cabling, commissioning, and hook-up of turbines on four different windfarms: Yunlin OWF; Changfang Xidao OWF; Formosa 2 OWF; and Tai Power Phase 1 demonstration project OWF.
The E1000 gangway system can provide ship-to-ship transfer between two floating objects for both personnel and cargo up to 1,000 kg in sea states as high as 4.5m Hs. Fully motion compensated in all six degrees of freedom, the gangway can be quickly converted into a crane, making it suited for various work scopes during the different construction phases of windfarms.
US offshore wind breakthrough
Besides these recent Taiwanese contracts, Amplemann won a milestone contract to supply its first E1000 motion-compensated system to the nascent US offshore wind market, which is in the early stages of growing its offshore windfarm capacity to 30 GW by 2030. Under the contract from US-based vessel owner Otto Candies, the inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) vessel Paul Candies will be fitted with an E1000 system in Q3 2023. Paul Candies will be deployed to support the hook-up and commissioning of turbines for the Southfork, Revolution and Sunrise windfarms being developed off the US northeast coast.
Ampelmann offers W-type systems, a fully integrated height-adjustable access solution for service operations vessels (SOVs) and construction service operations vessels (CSOVs) that, together with its new A-hoist, a cargo lifting A-type, will help to satisfy the growing demand for efficient access solutions for cargo and personnel during the construction, commissioning, and repair of a growing number of wind turbines.
Supporting Scottish windfarms
In contrast to Taiwan and the US, the UK is already a well-established global player in offshore wind, with some 11 GW installed and plans to grow to 50 GW by 2030. In October, the first wind turbine jacket foundation was installed at the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore windfarm, some 15 km off the coast of Scotland. Fife-based Briggs Marine is providing W2W and CTV vessel co-ordination services to support the construction and commissioning of the Northern and Southern Offshore Substations at the windfarm, being developed by EDF Renewables UK and ESB.
Briggs Marine has secured the long-term charter of a DP3 multi-purpose service vessel (MPSV) EDT Protea and is co-ordinating the 24-hour operation with its offshore personnel. An SMST telescopic Access Bridge (TAB) provides safe transfer of technicians from the MPSV to the substations. SMST offers a full range of motion-compensated TABs: S, M, L and XL, varying in length from 4 up to 58 m.
Working alongside EDT Protea is the Damen 2610 design crew transfer vessel (CTV) Forth Engineer, transferring technicians across the wider site and to shore.
“An SMST TAB-L gangway and Height Adjustment System were installed in a single day”
Briggs Marine subsea and environmental director Craig English, said: “This is a crucial element of the construction and commissioning process and key to bringing the windfarm a step closer to generating and exporting energy to the grid.”
An SMST TAB-L gangway and Height Adjustment System were installed in a single day on Solstad Offshore’s Normand Fortress. Prior to the install, the Dutch gangway systems specialist pre-assembled the gangway setup in three building blocks at its facilities in Drachen, before transporting them to the port of Harlingen. After connecting and testing the 24m-high gangway system, the 93 m MT 6016 MK II design subsea support vessel departed for operations in UK waters.
Offshore campaigns
Elsewhere, a new, independent W2W solutions provider was launched this year in the UK by a team of experienced professionals. The Aberdeen-based startup Walk2Work Solutions (W2W Solutions) wants to help optimise offshore campaigns, supplying and managing additional personnel on board (POB) capacity to help reduce maintenance backlogs, undertake projects, turn-arounds and decommissioning projects.
W2W Solutions will provide project management, engineering solutions, marine specialists, logistics management, offshore project execution, W2W vessels and gangway selection, and process and procedures.
The new company said it draws on decades of experience in W2W project planning, bringing together two leaders in their fields, Interocean Marine Services Ltd and Walk2Work Ltd. The team of 12 consists of marine specialists, engineering professionals, project managers and logistics specialists who have worked on numerous W2W projects in the North Sea since 2011.
W2W Solutions business development director Martyn Garvie said: “The sectors we operate in continue to transition to a more collaborative way of working and we believe our model and processes will help ensure our clients achieve optimised offshore campaigns.”
Interocean Marine Services Ltd chief executive Keith Nelson said: “The service this collaboration provides will bring efficiencies to maintenance campaigns, allowing clients to optimise budgets, ensuring there are no unnecessary cost over-runs.”
W2W Solutions has developed its own bespoke platform called ADD (appraise, design, deliver) to support clients from project inception to close-out in W2W campaigns.
