Offshore Solutions install first Offshore Access System (OAS) in the North Sea
Offshore Solutions B.V., which already operates three units in the shallower Southern North Sea, has been awarded a six-month contract with Chevron Upstream Europe to support the safe transfer of personnel to its normally unmanned installation, Erskine.
Erskine, situated approximately 150 miles east of Aberdeen in blocks 23/26a and 23/26b of the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS), faced manning constraints as the platform only has accommodation for 12 personnel. With sixteen to twenty people required to carry out current well work and coiled tubing operations, Chevron studied a variety of manning options.
The OAS, installed on the FD Incredible, was the preferred means of personnel transfer as it allows workers to transfer safely between the vessel and platform, maximising the productivity on the platform.
Equipped with a class two dynamic positioning system (guaranteeing the ship’s stable position), clear deck space, a contractor health, environment and safety management (CHESM) “A” rating and bedding for twenty-two working crew, the FD Incredible is ideally suited to support OAS operations.
Offshore Solutions B.V.’s general manager, Ian Sadler, said: “The OAS was designed particularly for the conditions of the North Sea and as such, we are delighted to be working with Chevron. This is the first time an OAS has operated in the central North Sea but our trials have already shown that it offers a viable alternative to current methods.”
* An OAS is a heave compensated telescopic gangway, enabling the safe transfer of personnel from a vessel to an offshore installation (wind turbine, oil or gas platform).
