Improved Ampelmann E1000
Ampelmann has enhanced its existing E1000 gangway transfer system to speed up conversion of its gangway from personnel to cargo mode from ten minutes to less than one minute, providing greater operational efficiencies.
The access system can transform from a gangway into a crane boom. It is 30m in length, and capable of safely transferring people and up to 1,000kg of cargo in rough sea states in wave heights up to 4.5m. The enhanced, automated system now employs remote-controlled hydraulic pin pushers to fixate the gangway booms in less than one minute with a single button. To switch from cargo to personnel transfer mode, the crane hoisting cable is placed in a freewheel mode to allow the booms to telescope, significantly increasing the available working time. Pins were previously manually deployed, and the entire conversion process took at least ten minutes to complete.
Diederick Nierstrasz, Ampelmann’s Offshore Wind Product Development Manager, explains: “Building on the success of the existing E1000, we recognised an opportunity to enhance the current system to reduce the time and physical effort to change the gangway work mode from personnel to cargo. With this safe and efficient innovation, it now takes less than one minute. This is a huge time-saving for our clients, resulting in a more efficient use of their valuable assets and increase of the overall project performance. Due to the E1000’s versatility, the system is already the preferred choice in the offshore wind sector. This improvement will provide even greater operational efficiencies for our customers not only in offshore wind, but also in the oil & gas industry where compensated lifting capacity is required.”
A total of four E1000 systems are currently being deployed. One of these is used by Siem Offshore Contractors on its vessels for inspection, maintenance and repair works on Germany’s first commercial offshore windfarm. Earlier this year, the gangway safely performed more than 12,000 people transfers and 7,000 cargo lifts between an offshore support vessel and the wind turbines over a ten-month period, leading to an extension of the original contract. Future development of the E1000 will focus on increasing its lifting capacity.