Headquartered in Fife in Scotland, Pict Offshore is a spin off from height safety innovator Limpet Technology
Image: Ørsted invests in offshore wind services provider Pict Offshore. Photo: Courtesy of Ørsted A/S
Danish energy giant Ørsted has acquired a minority stake of 22.5% in Pict Offshore, a Scottish provider of offshore wind operations and maintenance technology.
Pict Offshore has developed a new technology which could transform the way technicians access offshore wind turbines.
The company’s Get Up Safe (GUS) system, which was developed in partnership with Ørsted, is a motion compensated hoist solution that lets technicians to safely transfer between small moving vessels and offshore wind turbines.
With the new technology, technicians will no longer have to step from a moving boat onto a ladder and then climb to reach the base of the turbine. Instead, they can clip onto the system and be safely hoisted up to the turbine base directly from the boat.
Furthermore, the technology also removes the need for external access ladders on the turbines, reducing the amount of steel needed in the structure.
GUS system uses motion compensation to adjust line position
The GUS system comes with motion compensation capability which means that the hoist can automatically adjust the line position to take into account the boat movements so that the danger of collision between the technical and the boat is reduced, even during periods of high and varying wave heights.
Ørsted offshore operations senior vice president Mark Porter said: “The offshore wind sector already has a proven track record of innovation and rapid cost reduction, and we’re continually looking at new technologies to enhance both the construction and maintenance of our projects. This game-changing new technology can provide a more efficient, safe and cost-effective way of transferring technicians onto offshore wind turbines.
“We’re excited to be working alongside an innovative small business in Pict Offshore to revolutionise the way our technicians get to work. As the global offshore wind industry continues to grow, the opportunities for this technology are huge.”
The new technology from Pict Offshore is patent-protected and is in the final stages of development. As part of the testing process for the technology, over 1,600 hoists have already been conducted across Ørsted’s offshore wind sites .
Supported by a grant from the Scottish government, the system development started in 2016. From 2017, prototypes of the system were tested at the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult’s 7MW Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine in Scotland.
Headquartered in Fife in Scotland, Pict Offshore is a spin off from height safety innovator Limpet Technology.
Pict Offshore managing director Philip Taylor said: “We have hugely benefited from the experience and knowledge of Ørsted, the world’s largest offshore wind developer. Partnering with them has accelerated our ability to bring this new technology to market.
“The Get Up Safe motion compensated lifting system is an ambitious step forward for the whole offshore wind industry. It completely revolutionises the way technicians get to work, and we’re delighted to have reached the final stages of testing. We’ve also hugely enjoyed working alongside Ørsted and seeing first-hand the company’s passion for innovation.”