The Next Generation Gangway at Work in the Irish Sea
Barge Master and Bosch Rexroth’s Next Generation Gangway is in operation on the subsea-support walk-to-work vessel VOS Start from Vroon Offshore Services. The ship is chartered by MHI Vestas Offshore for the installation of wind turbines at the Walney Extension Windfarm at the Irish Sea. The motion-compensated gangway is mounted on a height-adjustable pedestal with an integrated elevator enabling a continuous workflow. Additionally, the pedestal makes it possible for the gangway to land on any height, keeping the gangway horizontal and providing stepless transfers. Both people and cargo can be transported from the ship deck or the level below to the level of the gangway, where they can instantly cross. The gangway has been extensively tested onshore at a specially designed test facility at Bosch Rexroth in Boxtel. The onshore testing made sure that only a very short period was needed to get the gangway operational on the VOS Start.
This next generation gangway, which is operated by a single operator, is equipped with extremely fast sensors and control technology. Movements of the ship can be translated into counter movements of the gangway within milliseconds. Because of this, the system is able to compensate for wave heights up to 3m (Hs) allowing safe transfers. Making the system truly unique is the fact that forces are also measured in the tip of the gangway, which allows for the forces to be kept low. This reduces the possibility of the tip to slip, significantly increasing the workability. Martijn Koppert, CEO at Barge Master explains that the partnership with Bosch Rexroth was not a coincidence. “We have been in business with Bosch Rexroth already since 2008. We started in a conventional supplier/customer relation, but this has evolved since the development of the Next Generation Gangway. We formed a Joint Project Team, which results in a far better system by using the best expertise available. This is proven by the fact that this gangway is an entirely new concept.” The two Dutch companies worked in a close cooperation, using each other’s strengths. As Mr Koppert states, “With this solution users are able to transfer people and goods from ship to platform 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”