Ampelmann Secures 13 Offshore Wind Contracts in Europe

Dutch offshore access provider Ampelmann has signed 13 contracts in European offshore wind in the first half of 2021.

With these contracts, the company enables the installation and maintenance of wind farms by providing motion compensated gangway solutions for both personnel and cargo transfer.

”Securing these projects has brought us new opportunities to deliver the highest level of safety to offshore operations,” said Bob Rollerman, Business Developer for Europe at Ampelmann.

”It has been a true team effort, with colleagues from across the region working hard to bring those contracts in. We are also happy to be working with both recurring and new clients to make their operations easier on the open sea.”

For all 13 campaigns, Ampelmann relies on its A-type and E1000 systems. Two of the projects will make use of the company’s A-hoist add-on, a recent innovation that enables the A-type to lift and transfer cargo up to 240 kilograms in a safe and efficient manner, the company said. This is particularly important in operations where tools and parts need to be brought to and from the offshore platform.

For larger cargo operations, Ampelmann is using the E1000, which can transfer loads up to 1 ton and fully compensate for the motions of the vessel in high sea states.

The A-type and E1000 systems are supporting the installation of several new wind farms, among which are Hornsea Two, Moray East, and Hollandse Kust Zuid.

Among the recently secured projects is one in France, a new market for Ampelmann, where it is supporting the installation of the foundation of a wind farm. This also happens to be the company’s first commercial offshore wind project in France.

”We celebrate the opportunity of joining this offshore wind project off the coast of France,” Rollerman said.

”Every commissioning operation in offshore wind is a step in the right direction and entering new geographical areas in that market is particularly exciting.”

Apart from the installation and commissioning of wind farms, Ampelmann’s systems are also supporting multiple maintenance operations.

A large part of the 13 contracts has been signed with returning customers, the company said. In order to further improve its offering, the Dutch offshore access provider now also offers access to Ampelmann Insights, its data-driven platform that gives clients a detailed look into their day-to-day operations. This includes the number of transfers they’ve completed, the performance of the system as well as a workability forecast based on sea and weather conditions.

According to some of the latest data, Ampelmann has enabled the safe transfer of more than 22,000 people and close to 1.5 million kilograms of cargo in these 13 new projects so far.