Most important operation criteria in the offshore access industry

Sep 26
08:10

2011

Romano Groenewoud

Romano Groenewoud

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Requirements

The offshore access industry has grown a lot during the last decade. The industry initially began in the seventies of the previous century. The first offshore transport operations involved helicopters that transferred employees of offshore oil companies from the oil platform to land. Later inventions included the jack-up platform,Most important operation criteria in the offshore access industry Articles the Windcat Workboat and the differentiated offshore access system. Each method has its pros and cons, and clients have their own priorities. This article will give an indication of what is needed to operate in this industry.

Criteria

The most important criterion for clients of this industry is offshore safety. The helicopter has had quite some accidents in the past, leading to injured personnel or even casualties. This can also cause huge reputation damage to the company in question, so the chance of offshore accidents should be minimized at all cost.

Another important requirement is vulnerability to external conditions. The conditions offshore can be quite rough. Especially in the salty North Sea offshore access is troublesome. For example, if there is a fog, the helicopter cannot operate. Windcat Workboats are unable to provide offshore access if waves are higher than 2 meters. Downtime can lead to huge costs for clients, because offshore employees are not only paid for the hours they work, but also when they are idle. Therefore, it is important that the offshore access solution has a high uptime.

The last criterion that is very important for clients is flexibility. Clients might need the system for multiple operations. The offshore access method could also be used, for example, to transport employees to an offshore wind turbine, to perform maintenance works.

Review of methods

You might wonder which offshore access method scores the highest in these three criteria. The differentiated offshore access system is superior to all other solutions regarding the requirements of clients. The offshore access system is a machine with six hydraulic legs that are able to compensate wave motions. The system furthermore comprises of a gangway that enables employees to safely cross.