Dutch offshore foundations manufacturer Sif has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Pict Offshore to integrate the Get Up Safe (GUS) system, as standard, into its Skybox TP-less monopile foundation.
The GUS system is a heave compensated personnel lifting solution that is said to transform the way in which maintenance technicians access offshore wind turbines from crew transfer vessels.
The GUS system has replaced landing structures at Ørsted’s Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm and will now become the standard method of access for Sif’s Skybox foundations.
The agreement combines Pict’s next-generation access technology with Sif’s next-generation TP-less foundation, the Dutch company said.
As the Skybox can be installed in one lift with no welded brackets on the monopile, it keeps costs and maintenance low and increases driveability and overall efficiency. The GUS system removes the need for landing structures on the side of the foundation, further streamlining costs while enhancing safety and year-round accessibility. Together, they promise to bring further significant cost, efficiency and safety benefits to offshore wind, Sif added.
The first deployment of the Skybox including the GUS system will be in the second half of this year when the second demonstrator “Skybox Full” will be built.
The “Skybox Lite” demonstrator that went offshore in 2021 now serves as a “mule” for an intense onshore testing and measurement campaign that will be executed over the summer this year.
Incorporating all lessons learned from this campaign, the “Skybox Full” demonstrator will be built after summer for offshore deployment in 2023.
The project is being executed in line with its original planning, both Technology Readiness Level as well as DNV certification are on track for serial deployment in 2024, Sif said.