Offshore Solutions access system wins award at OTC

Equipment & Technology - May 4, 2012

Offshore Solutions BV (OSBV), the joint venture between AMEC and Cofely Nederland NV, received a prestigious Hart’s Special Meritorious Awards for Engineering at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston (April 30- May 3).

The fiercely contested award was presented to Offshore Solutions as winner of the facilities category for its Offshore Access System (OAS).

The OAS is a 21m, hydraulically operated, telescopic gangway, fitted with an active heave compensation system, enabling the safe transfer of personnel from a vessel to an offshore installation.

It is the only heave compensated gangway system that can maintain a permanent connection and has an outstanding safety record, having transferred in excess of 120,000 personnel without any recordable incidents since 2006.

When engaged, a motion reference unit in its active hydraulic system maintains the walkway tip at a constant height relative to the horizon. This allows the walkway to be connected safely in sea states up to 3m significant wave height.

"The OAS can radically change how work can be done on offshore installations," the company claimed in a statement. "An OAS and vessel combination can fulfil a wide range of requirements; in addition to providing extra accommodation and the transfer of personnel to the installation, the OAS vessel can also be deployed to conduct other duties such as standby vessel and ROV or diving work. This flexibility enables the system to reduce operating costs."

Lindsay Young, managing director at Offshore Solutions, said: “Winning this award is a significant achievement for us and is testament to the expert team at Offshore Solutions, who work diligently to deliver safety, efficiency and high productivity to clients through continuous development of the OAS.

“We are honoured that the capabilities of the system have been recognised and are confident that it will continue to lead the way in marine personnel transfer.

“The OAS continues to be one of the safest and most efficient methods for accessing offshore installations 24 hours a day.”