Page 53: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Nov/Dec 2023)

52 54

TECH FEATURE WALK-TO-WORK SYSTEMS he 2023 Global Offshore Wind Report, pub- platform. Platform capacity is given as 2000kg and up to lished by the Global Wind Energy Council, 10 persons.

predicts the addition of more than 380 GW of Available for newbuild ships and for retrofts, the Ho-

T offshore wind capacity, across 32 markets in the rizon’s customizable foundations can be integrated with next 10 years. More than 3,000 turbines are expected to be the vessel design and adapted to serve different landing installed in Europe alone by the end of 2027. heights and turbine clearance requirements. The solution

In the immediate term, vessel day rates have also been is also delivered with an extra-wide transfer bridge (1.5m, growing fast, at 35% above their level 12 months earlier at against a class requirement of 1.2m) for optimized safety, the end of June 2023. Wind turbine installation vessel or- logistics fow, and/or an integrated tower and 26-person ders also refect a sector looking forward with confdence: elevator to connect goods and technicians between deck

Clarksons reported 66 commissioning service operation and gangway levels.

vessels (CSOVs) and crew transfer vessels on order at the Based on its design philosophy, but also on feedback end of frst half of the year - annualized as 20% ahead of from frst movers, Halvorsen says the all-electric option is the 110 counted for the whole of 2022. proving increasingly persuasive for gangway specifers.

But market predictability does not extend to weather, “Comparative studies tell us that energy effciency can and a personnel and cargo transfer solution from Mac- be as low as 25% for hydraulic load handling equipment,

Gregor is gaining attention. while electric solutions achieve above 75%,” he says.

Selecting the right solutions to transfer supplies and per- “Where the Horizon walkway is concerned, the amount sonnel safely and effciently between a CSOV and a tur- of energy needed for operations is very low - amounting to bine platform will be one of the key decisions an owner less than 200 kWh per day.

takes, the supplier advises, given that this activity will of- “Based on effciency, but also on the increasing focus ten defne a vessel’s maximum uptime hours: simply put, energy suppliers place on sustainability - and especially on its ability to earn money for its owner. CO2 emissions - our expectation is that all-electric transfer “The ability for walk-to-work gangways and cranes to solutions may soon come under consideration for inclu- compensate for sea conditions for a safe transfer of person- sion in charter party agreements.” nel and equipment to the turbine platform will be weighed The Horizon gangway features redundancy that goes up in the voyage plan," says Sindre Halvorsen, Specialist beyond class requirements, with an entire electrical sys-

Engineer, Product Owner Gangways. “Accuracy and reli- tem maintaining control and safety levels to handle any ability in this operation are critical for planning within the single failure.

safety limits imposed by weather. Effectively, the ability to work alongside determines a vessel’s operational window.”

Automatic Choice

Developing solutions for the demanding wind en-

The Horizon’s effciency is enhanced by its ability to in- ergy market has involved collaboration with clients, says terface with other shipboard systems. MacGregor’s Colibri

Halvorsen, with MacGregor contributing at an early stage 3D motion compensated crane is designed to provide fex- of vessel design to ensure that the position and perfor- ibility and agility under load, and for its greater precision mance of its equipment are optimized while less mass is in motion. Service vessels have now been ordered which feature the Horizon gangway system, the

Colibri 3D motion compensated crane and the ‘AROS’

All-Electric Horizon Active Motion remote-control station.

Compensated Gangways

Developed in close cooperation with customers, AROS

The result has been MacGregor’s all-electric ‘Horizon’ walk-to-work gangway, the frst examples of which are now is an augmented reality operator station positioned on the in full operation, with deliveries ongoing across a number bridge, from where a single operator can switch seamlessly between crane and gangway operations. In addition to the of CSOVs through 2023.

Providing active motion compensation to land and overall effciency and safety gains during a critical part of work safely in signifcant wave heights of up to 4.2m, the alongside operations, the combination provides another

Horizon gangway maximizes the available time for crew means of minimizing unplanned downtime and thereby and supplies to be transferred between the ship and the maximizing a vessel’s operational window.

november/december 2023 OFFSHORE ENGINEER 53