When you walk through the door, you have no doubt that this is where an experienced offshore crane manufacturer for wind turbines lives. The reference list includes offshore wind farms all over the world that already have or are about to get cranes from us. 2,158 offshore cranes have been built, and there will be even more with a new solution for safe lifting onto the wind turbines.
The solution is ready, and everything has been thought through at Seasight Davits in Ringkøbing, which among other things makes the Spider crane for offshore wind turbines. Normally, there would have to be two cranes on the transition pieces (TPs). One for tools, spare parts and catering for the service technicians who will be working on the turbine. The second crane is normally only intended to lift the same personnel up in a harness, but at Seasight Davits, the aim was to make transport from vessel to wind turbine much safer.
- We looked at the oil and gas industry. They have been lifting people onto drilling platforms since the 1970s, and today they do it in a really safe way in baskets with up to seven million lifts per year. They typically lift four people at a time, but that is not needed in wind turbines. That is why we have developed a basket for two people, which is most often needed on offshore wind turbines. We have taken a safe and well-known technology and further developed it for wind, says Alex Kristensen, chief commercial officer at Seasight Davits.
The extra safety
The package is based on a solution that consists of three parts, the transfer basket for two people, the spider crane and a universal remote control. But the gold lies in the details, which require a deeper explanation.
- What is unique here is that we have a combined crane that meets the high safety requirements for the riding task as well. This means that there are double all safety functions such as brakes, relays and more. Everything is integrated into the crane, which gets power from the wind turbine, but at the same time there is a battery pack as a backup, where there is always power, promises Alex Kristensen.
The reason why the control panel and more are in the crane itself is that it makes maintenance work and any repairs easier. There are simply no control panels that need to be integrated into the wind turbine.
The crane also has a remote control that works universally on all spider cranes. Here too, safety has been thought of, so that several cranes can be operated simultaneously in a wind farm without any confusion.
- A remote control must be within 900 meters of a crane in order to operate it. There is a nautical mile between wind turbines, and that is 1800 meters, so it is completely safe, says Alex Kristensen.
The basket for the lift is also certainly in a whole new category. It is made for two people, who are strapped into chairs with seat belts.
- The basket is scaled down to two people. There are cameras in the basket, so the crane operator can constantly check on his remote control that everything is okay. There are built-in springs and pads, so that the person and basket can withstand drops of up to two meters, explains Alex Kristensen.
The springs and pads provide the two-meter drop margin, and this means more safety if the crane operator suddenly has to put the basket hard on either the ship's deck or on the platform on the TP due to windy weather or waves.
The transport basket can float without capsizing if, against expectations, it ever ends up in the water.
More advantages
Normally, there are ladders on the TP if there are no cranes approved to lift personnel, but in the future there will be no need for this secondary option. There are several advantages to this.
- When it is not the large supply and utility vessels (SUV) that have a gangway, the ladder is used. But there is a shortage of large SUVs, and it is less safe when it is smaller vessels that service the wind turbines. With our solution with a crane that can also lift personnel, the ladder can be saved, and steel can be saved in the construction phase, explains Alex Kristensen.
The next step is already ready for Alex Kristensen.
We already have a test program running with a large customer. Now we need to get the solution out and live on a large scale. We will set up and show the entire solution outdoors at Wind Energy in Hamburg in the autumn. It is the customers' HSQE people and engineers to whom we will show this unique package, says Alex Kristensen.
The Spider crane can normally lift up to one ton, because it does not require a crane certificate up to this weight in most countries. However, the crane can be upgraded to lift up to 3 tons.
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