Albatross Joins Safeway Flock

Safeway BV has introduced a new type of its motion-compensated walk-to-work gangway said to be designed to offer increased flexibility.

According to the Dutch company, the Safeway Albatross gangway features a lift integrated into the mast of the offshore structure for the transport of goods and people, with an option to extend to the below-deck storage hold of a platform supply vessel (PSV).

The stable boom can be rotated through 360 degrees, meaning that the mast can be mounted centrally on the deck of the PSV and the gangway can be manipulated towards the stern, port or starboard for transfer of workers and tools, Safeway said.

With its 30m boom, Albatross can be positioned centrally on vessels with a maximum beam of 20m, the optimum position because vessel movements are minimal, according to the company.

“In particular our zero impact bumpering feature has proven an absolute ‘game changer’. Normally speaking a force (of up to 1000 kg) is applied against an offshore platform or foundation pile, to ensure a secure connection. This imposes considerable demands on the platform or wind turbine, to avoid the risk of damage,” said Remko de Boer, General Manager at Safeway.

“Besides the fact that the gangway has to be locked into position, a great deal of time is lost for the initial positioning of the traditional gangway. To counter this difficulty, the special feature of Safeway gangways is that the tip of the motion compensating gangway can be suspended in a stationary position, in the air, so that there is no need for a fixing point. Again this represents a huge time saving.”

Safeway Albatross joins the company’s two already active walk-to-work systems, Safeway Osprey and Safeway Seagull, which was most recently used at the Borkum West offshore wind project.