Access Solutions News

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has received an order to deliver access equipment for a cruise vessel, which will be built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France.The vessel is scheduled to be delivered to the shipowner during the fourth quarter of 2025.MacGregor’s scope of supply encompasses design, hardware and commissioning of lifting and other platforms, shell doors, hatch covers and automatic gangways.“I’m happy to see the cruise business starting to recover after the Covid pandemic and that the shipowners yet again want to invest in new vessels.

Ampelmann, a Dutch-based firm providing offshore access solutions, will soon be deploying a second gangway to support the construction of the Hywind Tampen floating wind farm in Norway.The first gangway, an E1000 system, was fitted to OSCV Siem Barracuda in early December. Ampelmann said Monday that the second Ampelmann gangway would begin its operations on the wind farm within the next six months.Maichel van Nauta Lemke, Ampelmann’s Business Developer for floating wind. ”We are…

After being very much on the margins of the offshore wind industry, floating offshore wind now appears to be ready to hit the mainstream. With gigawatt scale developments already on the horizon, what will the infrastructure needed to build and support them look like? Over the past 12 months, the floating offshore wind sector appears to have had a major dose of adrenaline. While the largest development, to date, is the relatively small-scale 50MW Kincardine project off northeast Scotland (which will be outdone by the 88MW Tampen project in Norway later next year [2022])…

Dutch offshore access solutions provider Ampelmann has launched an electric version of its A-type walk-to-work gangway system. According to Ampelmann, the latest version of the A-type has seen its traditional hydraulic power train replaced by electric regenerative actuation, decreasing its energy use by more than 80%. The gangway requires fewer resources to operate compared to its hydraulic-powered counterpart and is 40% lighter, which makes the system suitable for smaller and lighter vessels and allows for higher vessel speeds.

Dutch shipbuilder Damen's new Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 7011, which will be able to carry 122 people in a single trip, hit the water earlier this month at Damen Shipyards Antalya, Turkey. The vessel, which Damen has dubbed "as a quantum leap forward in marine access solutions," has been described as a "cost-effective crew transportation alternative boasting robust safety characteristics."According to Damen, the vessel is the largest ever to have been launched in Antalya Free Zone.

Danish provider of offshore service vessels A1 Offshore Solutions ApS and lifting and offshore equipment specialist KenzFigee have signed a cooperation agreement to offer clients in the offshore oil, gas and wind industry a cost-efficient and safe Walk-to-Work vessel solution.The pact follows A1 Offshore Solution’s experiences with the KenzFigee 3D Active Motion Compensated (ACM) 26-meter gangway solution installed on board its’ offshore support vessel ‘Notus Express’.Increasing demand for cost efficient, safe and reliable offshore access solutions have been the basis of this joint initiative, said a press release.In addition to the installed walk-to-work system from KenzFigee, the vessel ‘Notus Express’ is fitted with a purpose-built accommodation block in 2018.

UK-based crew transfer specialist High Speed Transfers (HST) announced that its second new high-speed crew transfer vessel HST Sofia will be contracted by Shell to support its exploration program in the Black Sea commencing March 2019.The FCS 2710 vessel, built by Dutch shipbuilder Damen, will be trialed by HST to undertake oil and gas crew transfers to support the Noble Globetrotter II drill ship. The vessel will shortly begin an exploration drilling program in the Khan Kubrat block…

Dutch offshore access solutions provider Ampelmann has reached a new milestone: 500,000 safe personnel transfers for BP globally.The  provider of offshore personnel transfer system completed its first transfer for the oil major in Trinidad & Tobago in 2010 and has since enabled another 17 projects in seven countries.“Half a million people transfers in eight years is a key milestone for Ampelmann,” said Gus DeOliveira, Area Sales Lead for the Americas. “We thank BP for their continuous trust and support in jointly making the Oil & Gas industry safer and more efficient.”“The safe delivery of these transfers is a great achievement,” said a BP Marine Representative.

Ampelmann, the global leader in offshore access solutions, has opened its second office in the Middle East in a move to further expand its presence in the region. The office in Dubai (UAE) will be manned by Tim Mulders as Business Developer.Together with the team in the already established office in Doha, Qatar, Mr. Mulders will be strengthening Ampelmann’s position in the regional market.“This newly-manned UAE office will give clients the chance to meet face-to-face with Tim on short notice and at their convenience,” said Jayne Moran, Sales and Business Development Manager for the Middle East & Caspian regions.“Tim has been with the company for the past five years and is an experienced project manager with a good understanding of what clients require.

Offshore access solutions provider Ampelmann said it has won five new contracts for its Walk to Work (W2W) solutions in the offshore wind market over the course of September. These projects will see two A-type and three E-type systems installed on vessels operating in the North Sea.Four of the five contracts have been secured by Ampelmann’s recently opened office in Hamburg, Germany.An Ampelmann E-type system has been installed on the Viking Neptun vessel to enable supporting works at the Merkur wind farm in the German North Sea.

Dutch offshore access solutions provider Ampelmann said it has made another step forward in the field of decommissioning with a recently secured contract in the Southern North Sea.An E-type gangway system has been installed on the Olympic Orion vessel to carry out a two-month campaign for end client Spirit Energy to prepare the Audrey platform for decommissioning.The E-type is the largest fully motion compensated system within the Ampelmann portfolio. Operating globally, it has enabled more than 300…

Ampelmann, a provider of motion compensated offshore access solutions, announced it has achieved a milestone in the operation of its systems; two million safe transfers. The accomplishment was achieved 10 months after the one millionth transfer. The two millionth safe transfer took place on a project for Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP). BSP utilizes multiple Ampelmann A-Type and L-Type systems for the transfer of personnel during operations and maintenance activities. Ampelmann CEO, Jim Craig, said, “2015 marks an important year in Ampelmann’s history as we celebrate two million safe transfers.

Ampelmann, a provider of motion compensation access solutions, is opening an office in central Aberdeen as the next step in the continued expansion of the company. Ampelmann claims an an extensive track record in supporting Walk to Work campaigns in the North Sea, and said the new office aims to strengthen its presence in the region and enable better support for current and future customers. The access systems of Ampelmann have been used in multiple projects in the UKCS. From commissioning campaigns in the harsher waters West of Shetland to reducing costly shut down and maintenance projects throughout the North Sea. Newly appointed Business Development Manager in Aberdeen, Lorenz Nehring, said, “The North Sea is constantly looking at initiatives to save money by cutting operating costs.

With Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Zoe’s inaugural voyage completed this summer, the largest containership ever built is now operating with high-speed Marlink Maritime VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) on board. Marlink VSAT services provide connectivity for operational and crew communications on MSC Zoe and 130 other MSC ships. MSC is also saving time and money with a suite of integrated IT solutions designed to reduce network administration on board and provide easy access to communication services for crew, all enabled by the XChange communications management platform from Marlink.

At the end of June, Damen Shipyards Group along with Ampelmann and VEEM hosted a Marine Access Event, where over two days delegates from both the offshore renewable and non-renewable industries had the opportunity to sail from IJmuiden in the Netherlands to experience the latest in marine access solutions. The demonstrations took place on board a Damen Fast Crew Supplier 5009 equipped with an Ampelmann L-type gangway and two VEEM VG 260SD gyro stabilizers.This combination of VEEM gyro stabilizers…

On April 14, 2016, offshore access solutions company Ampelmann and Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. signed an agreement to install and operate a winterized version of an Ampelmann’s motion compensated gangway system. This system will be capable of safely and efficiently transferring work crew up to -28 degrees Celsius, therefore supports Sakhalin Energy’s requirements to continue maintenance and increase offshore POB year round in the Sakhalin-2 field. The winterized Ampelmann, project name “Icemann”, will be installed on one of Sakhalin Energy’s new ice breaking support vessels of which delivery is due next year. Ampelmann will engineer and build this bespoke, unique in the world system for its launching customer Sakhalin Energy. The contract duration will be for 10 years.

The Damen Shipyards Group’s Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 2610 is proving to be every bit as effective in the oil and gas sector as it is in the offshore wind industry. The application of the renowned design in this arena is a response to a move in offshore O&G towards the high-intensity use of flexible, multi-purpose vessels wherever possible so as to minimise costs. As a twin-hulled vessel, the FCS 2610 combines high speed and stability with substantial deck space for equipment and components. And, with Damen’s philosophy of building in series, the FCS 2610 is available on stock for extra fast delivery. Over 40 vessels of this model have been built to date…

Motion compensated access solutions developer Ampelmann informs it  will provide one of its offshore access solutions to enable ‘walk to work’ for a commissioning campaign on Premier Oil’s Solan field, West of Shetland. The Ampelmann system enables the safe and effective transfer of the workforce in one of the world’s most challenging offshore locations. To meet the demands of working offshore West of Shetland, the multipurpose service vessel the Siem Spearfish is being fitted with an Ampelmann E-type system.

Damen Shipyards Group has teamed up with the global leader in motion compensation access solutions, Ampelmann, to conduct tests with Ampelmann’s L-Type system on board a Damen Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 5009. Damen is developing its marine access solutions in order to guarantee increased safety, reduced costs and efficiency in the global crew transfer market. As part of this mission, Damen has recently increased its cooperation with a number of access suppliers. On this occasion, the process has resulted in a live demonstration of a combined Ampelmann and Damen solution at a North Sea gas production platform. Teaming up with Ampelmann for a number of tests was a natural route says Damen Business Development Manager David Stibbe.

Ampelmann informs it has been awarded a contract by Boa Marine Services Inc. (BMSI) to provide a gangway solution for the ExxonMobil-operated Julia project in the Gulf of Mexico. Ampelmann’s work scope comprises transferring day- and nightshifts of personnel and 24 hours emergency evacuation standby. BMSI’s multipurpose vessel Boa Deep C. is being fitted with an Ampelmann A-type gangway, mobilized on a 23-meter pedestal so it is capable of landing at the platform at a height of 32 meters.

The oil and gas industry has just 18 months to upgrade critical release hook systems on offshore lifeboats to meet new regulations imposed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to improve safety at sea. According to the organization, the number of failures during drills and inspections which resulted in casualties or injured crew members has been unacceptably high. Launched in 2011, the IMO regulations state that lifeboat release and retrieval systems must be evaluated and replaced no later than July 1, 2019.

DNV GL today published the first industry standard providing guidance on offshore personnel transfer by gangway. DNVGL-ST-0358 will contribute in documenting and securing safe operational performance of offshore gangway solutions and contribute to predictability and transparency within the industry. Offshore gangways are used as a bridge between two vessels or between a fixed object and a floating installation to transfer people, cargo or equipment. For offshore operations, offshore gangways provide a safe and cost effective alternative to personnel transfer by helicopter…

Ampelmann, a developer of motion compensated access solutions, has been awarded its first contract in Brazil. Under the contract, Ampelmann will provide its E-Type system to Boskalis in support of an extended FPSO maintenance campaign. The Ampelmann system enables fully motion compensated ship to ship personnel transfers. Ampelmann’s track record on FPSO walk to work campaigns includes recent projects delivered in the North-Sea, Australia, Gulf of Mexico and Africa. Several customers use Ampelmann’s walk to work solution for yearly FPSO maintenance campaigns.