General – Gangway Tower System
Ampelmann has completed the first offshore transfers with its first W-type system onboard the Olympic Boreas Construction Service Operation Vessel (CSOV).
The gangway tower system was delivered to Ulstein Verft for installation on the CSOV, designed and built by Ulstein for Olympic.
The system, developed on the back of Ampelmann’s high safety standards and years-long expertise in offshore access, will start its tour of duty in offshore wind, contributing to an increased operational efficiency in the industry.
“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.”
While the W-type is far from being the only tower gangway on the market, it was designed and developed as a result of the growing need of clients to use trolleys in their operations, especially maintenance scopes, in offshore wind. Tailored to individual vessels, the system is electric, height adjustable, and has a crane as well as a lift that can carry both personnel and cargo. The cargo capabilities of the W-type, in particular, 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 people transfer.
