Offshore Access System begins work in the North Sea
OAS system installed on "FD Incredible"
Designed to operate in 2.5 metre Hs (significant wave height) sea states, the OAS is mounted onboard platform supply vessel "FD Incredible", which has been chartered by Chevron as an accommodation vessel.
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). 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.
