BMT Nigel Gee Ltd, a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, has enjoyed double success at the 2011 Seawork International Innovations Showcase. The Turbine Access System (TAS), developed in conjunction with marine engineers Houlder, has won both the Marine Renewables Category and overall Spirit of Innovation award. The lightweight motion compensated gangway provides access from workboats onto turbine structures.
The TAS's damped roller system was designed to allow the vessel a degree of vertical movement at the foundation and to execute crew transfer via a lightweight, motion-compensated gangway. It does not require dynamic positioning (DP) and neither the TAS nor the vessel is connected to the turbine.
The TAS will prominently feature on the BMT stand at RenewableUK Offshore Wind exhibition in Liverpool which starts on the 29th June with Houlder expecting to have a demonstrator model available this autumn.