Offshore staff
DELFT, the Netherlands – Ampelmann has sold a winterized A-type gangway system to Dutch shipyard Royal Niestern Sander.
The new motion compensated gangway system combines the features of the original A-type with the ability to operate in extreme cold weather. The system will be installed on the first shallow draft ice-breaking Walk to Work (W2W) vessel that the shipyard is currently developing.
The combination of the winterized A-type and the vessel will operate off Sakhalin, eastern Russia. Both are to be delivered at the end of 2021.
The W2W system will enable year-round crew change services for up to 40 people from the shallow Nabil Port to offshore platforms near the coast.
The new system uses the winter-proof features of the N-type. It is able to compensate waves up to 3 m Hs and allow for safe and comfortable transfers at temperatures as low as -30°C (-22°F), the company said. This system is designed with most essential equipment being placed in a temperature-controlled engine room under the hexapod, the transfer deck is covered, and outside components are equipped with covers and heat tracing.
The system will have two operating modes, in which it will be placed midship during the summer to ensure the highest motion compensation capabilities, and toward the stern of the vessel during the winter to accommodate people transfers while ice breaking.
06/12/2020
