Dutch offshore service provider Ampelmann has signed its first contract in the US offshore wind market under which the company will provide a Walk-to-Work (W2W) gangway system to the marine transportation and towing company, Otto Candies.
Under the contract, Ampelmann will provide an E1000 motion-compensated system to facilitate operations during the construction of Ørsted’s South Fork, Revolution Wind, and Sunrise Wind offshore wind farms in the north-east US Atlantic.
This marks an important turning point for the company and will see the introduction of W2W to the American renewable energy sector, Ampelmann said.
The inspection, maintenance, and repair vessel Paul Candies , owned and operated by Otto Candies, will be fitted with the E1000 W2W system in the third quarter of 2023 to support the hook-up and commissioning of turbines.
According to the company, the system compensates for all six degrees of freedom in relation to the vessel and turbine, which will provide safe access for personnel in sea states of up to 4.5 metres during its year-long operation.
The E1000 W2W system will also be used to lift cargo, equipment, and tools up to a tonne and the gangway’s fuel transfer capabilities will allow for the testing of the generators and turbines.
“This is a significant achievement for the company, and it will highlight the efficiency and safety our systems bring to the American renewable energy sector, as it has done in Europe and Asia. Ampelmann is keen to take on an active role in the emerging US offshore wind market.” said Steven Kaub , Ampelmann’s Business Developer for American offshore wind.
At the end of last year, the turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa chartered the Jones Act-compliant W2W vessel Paul Candies to assist in the installation of 89 turbines across the South Fork and Revolution Wind offshore wind farms in the United States.
South Fork is expected to be one of the first offshore projects built in the US when it becomes operational in 2023.