MaXccess Walk to Work System supplied for Subsea 7 project
OSBIT Power, in collaboration with Tyne Gangway, has delivered a multi-million pound telescopic gangway system for offshore services contractor Subsea 7.
OSBIT Power and Tyne Gangway joined forces to design and manufacture the MaXccess P35 telescopic gangway system. It will be installed at the Lianzi oil field off the coast of Angola, which is due to start production next year.
OSBIT was responsible for the design and manufacture of the system’s hydraulic and control systems. It also manufactured its steel parts, including the rapid mobilisation tower that will enable it to be easily installed on Subsea 7’s accommodation vessel.
Tyne Gangway was responsible for designing the Aluminium Telescopic Gangway Sections, with fabrication work completed at Tyne Gangway’s Howdon facility. Final assembly and testing was carried out at the Port of Blyth by OSBIT, Tyne Gangway and Tyne Gangway’s sister company, Lift-Rite.
The system has now been shipped almost 7000 miles for commissioning on Subsea 7’ vessel the 7 Antares at Lianzi.
The walk-to-work gangway will provide a safe and reliable means of transferring personnel from their accommodation vessel, to and from the oil platform. The 35 metre system incorporates tailor-made connection technology to compensate for movement between the vessel and target structure, providing high sea state access with virtually no power consumption.
An accumulator system ensures that the gangway can be lifted and stowed even in the event of vessel power loss, minimizing risk to life and damage to the gangway or platform. OSBIT’s state of the art PLC-based control system monitors operations, ensuring that the highest levels of safety are maintained during operation.
Tyne Gangway Managing Director, Ken McDonald said:
“Winning this contract is a fantastic achievement for Tyne Gangway and OSBIT Power, and is significant for the North East in general. It is always great to be able to export quality marine engineering from the region. This is the largest telescopic gangway we’ve created and the biggest order we have secured for the business.”
OSBIT Power director Steve Bedford said:
“OSBIT Power has a highly successful relationship with Tyne Gangway. Together, we bring many decades of experience to the design and manufacture of offshore equipment and an unrivalled track record in delivering thousands of aluminium gangway systems.
We take great pride in our commitment to the highest standards of engineering, with personnel safety always a principal design factor. The MaXccess-P35 system sets new standards of safety and is a clear signal that the North East continues to be driving force in the sector”.