An Ampelmann gangway system has been installed on Wagenborg’s Blue Queen Walk to Work emergency response and rescue vessel.
Wagenborg said on Wednesday that the gangway system would be used for the transfer of offshore crews from the vessel to NAM and Shell UK’s unmanned platforms in both Dutch and British waters.
According to the company, crew transfer can be done safely using the gangway in wave heights up to 3.5 meters.
The installation is part of a vessel conversion, which is executed within 16 weeks. The Royal Niestern Sander shipyard is converting the vessel from a platform supply vessel into a walk to work vessel.
The Blue Queen will support offshore maintenance operations of NAM/Shell UK in the Southern North Sea in the upcoming six years. Wagenborg won the deal for the vessel back in November 2017 .
For the provision of the W2W ERRV vessel to NAM and Shell UK, Wagenborg signed an agreement with Ulstein for the delivery of a standard PX121 PSV. The Ulstein-owned Blue Queen was the vessel chosen for this contract.
The vessel is expected to be delivered to Wagenborg Offshore in March 2018 and begin operations in the first quarter of 2018.
To remind, the PX121 platform supply vessel arrived at the Royal Niestern Sander shipyard in December 2017 . It is worth noting that a new accommodation unit was installed on the Blue Queen in late January .
The installation of the unit was done using the floating crane Triton, the tug Waterpoort, and the Wagenborg Barge 2.
The new section offers accommodation facilities for additional 15 people on board and enables the walk to work vessel to have emergency response and rescue capabilities. For this specific purpose, the accommodation unit has a recovery area, survivor area, decontamination room, and a hospital.
Offshore Energy Today Staff