Ampelmann completes successful first transfers with new W-type tower gangway

The Ampelmann W-type, fully integrated into the Olympic Boreas, and ready for operations in the offshore wind market. [Photo: Ampelmann]

Netherlands-based offshore access system specialist Ampelmann reports that it has has successfully completed the first offshore transfers with its new W-type system onboard the construction service operation vessel (CSOV) Olympic Boreas, delivered by Ulstein Verft to Fosnavåg, Norway, headquartered Olympic Group in July.

The W-type is one of Ampelmann’s latest electric motion compensated systems and was designed and developed as a result of the growing needs of clients to use trolleys in their operation, especially offshore wind maintenance activities. Tailored to individual vessels, the system is electric, height adjustable, and has a crane as well as an elevator that can carry both personnel and cargo.

The cargo capabilities of the W-type have been designed to meet rather specific client needs. Those include transferring equipment, such as pallets with tools and spare parts, to offshore wind structures. This led Ampelmann to design its system in a way that it can switch quickly between the three modes: cargo, trolleys and personnel transfer.

In line with industry demands to reduce carbon emissions offshore, the company designed the W-type as an electric system. Like the electric A-, L- and S-type systems, the W-type consumes significantly less energy and has a low carbon footprint. As well as requiring less power to operate, the electric system does not require a hydraulic power unit (HPU). This results in vessels needing fewer engines, fewer generators, consuming less power and being ready for the future.

“We are excited to see the positive results of our close collaboration with both Olympic and Ulstein,” says Boudewijn Visser, Ampelmann’s director of innovations. “We have delivered one of our latest gangway systems, now fully integrated into the Olympic Boreas vessel and ready to operate in the C/SOV market. We thank both parties for their support throughout this project and for their continuous trust in our products and services.”

Ampelmann says that “there is more to the W-type than the gangway itself.”

The W-type comes together with skilled, Ampelmann-trained operators, access to the operator training center, 24/7 support through the company’s operation control center (OCC), as well as project preparation, Ampelmann Insights, a data platform that provides insights into the operational performance of projects, and after-sale support such as maintenance.

Over the course of this year, the company has already been training the first W-type client operators. Ampelmann’s client operator training program is part of the company’s continued commitment to safety in the offshore industry. The company trains all of its own, as well as client operators according to the highest safety standards and prepares them to work in various conditions, making them ready to react to even the most challenging situations offshore.

Looking to the future, Ampelmann has scaled up production of new systems, aiming to deliver one new system per month, including its first 11 W-types.