OFFSHORE ACCESS SYSTEMS | 21
OFFSHORE ACCESS SYSTEMS
CONTINUE FAST PACE OF EVOLUTION A new version of the Ampelmann access system, the A400 has been designed with greater capacity for equipment
Offshore access systems are growing in sophistication, driven by the needs of the offshore oil and gas and offshore wind markets
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aving started out as fairly rudimentary gangways, walk-to-work systems are evolving quickly to meet the requirements of the offshore oil and gas and offshore wind industries. Early first-generation walkto-work systems provided the ability to transfer personnel from the deck of a vessel to a fixed structure, but a new generation of walkto-work technology has recently been introduced that enables technicians and their equipment to be transferred – even from different deck levels. There’s no need to carry heavy equipment either when you can push a trolley across a gangway. Get up in
time for your shift, pick up your gear and take an elevator to the gangway, which takes you to your place of work. It’s like taking the underground or the subway to work, but at sea. That’s the kind of ease and convenience that the latest systems provide. Manufacturers of offshore access gangways say clients are looking for systems with greater capacity – including transferring equipment – and the ability to work at a range of heights while having a minimal footprint. In both sectors, ‘stepless transfer’ is the key, making it safer and easier for personnel to move from a ship to their place of work. The height at which transfers need to be undertaken can vary significantly, according to the
height of the platform, turbine or substation. Large tidal variation is not uncommon in the offshore wind sector, for instance, and this has led to the development of more capable systems that incorporate elevators of the type mentioned above. First-generation walk-towork systems weren’t really integrated into a vessel in any way – effectively, they were just bolted on deck – but the next generation of equipment is likely to be integrated into a ship’s dynamic positioning and platform management systems. The first example of this kind of integrated approach has been ordered by Olympic Shipping in Norway and will see a K-Walk motion compensated gangway installed on the vessel Olympic Orion and integrated
Offshore Support Journal | July/August 2017