Monday 15 June 2020

Ampelmann, the global offshore access provider, has secured a contract with Dutch shipyard Royal Niestern Sander, member of the Royal Wagenborg Group, for the sale of a winterised A-type, a new motion compensated gangway system that combines the features of the original A-type with the ability to operate in extreme cold weather. The system will be installed on the first shallow draft ice-breaking Walk to Work (W2W) vessel that the shipyard is currently developing.

The combination of the winterised A-type and the vessel will operate off the East Coast of Sakhalin, Russia. Both solutions are to be delivered at the end of 2021.

A joint solution for year-round operations

By joining forces, Ampelmann and Royal Niestern Sander will provide the O&G industry in Sakhalin with a bespoke W2W solution that can operate in the summer as well as in the extreme-cold winter months. It will enable year-round crew change services for up to 40 people from the shallow Nabil Port to offshore platforms near the coast. The winterised A-type system will account for the safe transfer of the crew to and from those platforms.

The new Ampelmann system is based on the proven technology and track record of the original A-type and utilises the winter-proof features of the N-type. It is, thus, able to compensate waves up to 3m Hs and allow for safe and comfortable transfers at temperatures as low as -30°C. Similarly to the N-type, this system is designed with most essential equipment being placed in a temperature-controlled engine room under the hexapod, the transfer deck is covered, and outside components are equipped with covers and heat tracing.

The system will have two operating modes, in which it will be placed midship during the summer to ensure the highest motion compensation capabilities, and towards the stern of the vessel during the winter to accommodate people transfers while ice breaking.

"We are excited to have formed this partnership with Royal Niestern Sander as, together, we can provide a solution that meets the specific needs of the local O&G market in Sakhalin,” said Joeri Poelmann, Ampelmann’s Area Manager Sales for the Asia Pacific. “We have years-long experience enabling safe offshore access in the area with both our A- and N-types, which we can now expand on with our second winterised system – and the third system working in Sakhalin."