Safely transferring personnel from a vessel onto a turbine is a well known concern and challenge in offshore wind. E.ON has now successfully trialed the novel access system MaXccess, developed by the innovative UK based company OSBIT Power. The trials took place at the E.ON offshore wind farm Scroby Sands on the east coast of England.
“We identified safe transfer in offshore wind early on as a topic where we wanted to accelerate the technical development. This is an innovative solution that could be used in commercial operation in the near-term” says Urban Keussen , Senior Vice President of Technology & Innovation at E.ON .
The MaXccess system provides a stable platform from which personnel can transfer to and from the boat landing ladders mounted on turbine foundation structures. With the new MaXccess system improved access can be achieved also for smaller crew vessels. E.ON will now analyze the results from the trials in more detail with the hope to be able to transfer personnel more safely even in rougher weather conditions in the near future.
“Finding better solutions for access offshore is very important. Not only has this solution the potential to improve safety for our personnel but also improve productivity by increasing the availability of our wind turbines” concludes Michael Lewis , Chief Operating Officer of E.ON’s wind business .
[mappress]
Offshore WIND staff, June 14, 2012; Image: OSBIT Power