In 2018, more than 400 offshore wind turbines were installed in Europe, taking the total number of turbines above 4 500. Offshore wind capacity in Europe is at over 18 000 megawatts, enough to power between 3 and 6 million households.

With the growth of offshore wind, however, higher demands are being put on service providers. The providers have to develop new technology to keep up with the pace of installation, in order to maintain and service all the wind farms in a safe and efficient manner.

Uptime has delivered gangways to offshore industries for several decades. The company’s latest development is an intelligent and autonomous gangway which makes servicing wind farms easier than ever before.

The new Uptime gangway is 30 metres long and allows offshore service personnel to “walk to work”, from shore to ship to service location on wind turbines or platforms. It is motion compensated, ensuring safe passage for all personnel.

An operator onboard the ship’s bridge controls the gangway. The intelligent landing function means that the gangway easily learns how to dock onto new locations, without the need for manual handling.

Uptime’s gangway can be installed on any type of offshore vessel. The gangway is powered by electricity, making it emission-free in operation. It also has a crane function, making it possible to operate the gangway as an offshore crane for lifting up to 4 metric tons.

Uptime also delivers other gangways, ranging from 6 to 57 metres long.

Uptime’s intelligent gangway makes it easier to service offshore wind farms. The autonomous landing function reduces risk by eliminating human error as a factor in transporting service personnel to offshore installations.

Uptime has supplied hundreds of gangways and helidecks to offshore industries since 1979. The majority of its market is in the oil and gas sector, but since 2012 it has delivered dozens of gangways to offshore wind projects.

With the continued expansion of offshore wind in Europe and across the world, the market for safe, efficient and intelligent service technology will only grow.