Ampelmann, a Dutch offshore access provider, has signed its first contract in the offshore wind market in the United States.
Otto Candies, a marine transportation and towing company, will receive an E1000 motion compensated system to help with operations during the construction of the Southfork, Revolution, and Sunrise wind farms in the north-east US Atlantic. This is a watershed moment for Ampelmann, as it heralds the introduction of Walk to Work (W2W) to the American renewable energy sector.
The E1000 will be installed on the Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair Vessel (IMR), Paul Candies, in Q3 2023 to assist with turbine hook-up and commissioning. Because the system compensates for all six degrees of freedom in relation to the vessel and turbine, it will provide safe, consistent, and reliable offshore access in sea states up to 4,5m Hs over the course of the year.
Along with providing safe access for personnel, the system will also be used to hoist cargo, equipment, and tools weighing up to 1,000kg, and the fuel transfer capabilities of the gangway will allow for testing of the generators and turbines. The E1000 will be able to service multiple turbines at once by converting the Paul Candies into a W2W vessel, greatly increasing the speed and efficiency of operations.
Not so long ago, Ampelmann entered the Chinese offshore market with a contract signed with Guangdong Safety New Energy. The company is providing the A-type motion compensated access system for the project, which will be deployed on a Service Operation Vessel (SOV) in the Guandong Yangjiang offshore wind farm.
