ALE designs transition piece frame

UK-headquartered global heavy lift and transportation specialist ALE has designed a new modular transport frame for carrying offshore windfarm transition pieces (TPs) within marshalling ports.

The transport frame was designed in-house by ALE’s R&D team in Breda, the Netherlands. ALE said its aim in designing the transport frame was to provide a cost-effective alternative to using cranes when transporting TPs around the port.

ALE claimed the transport frame helps increase project efficiency as it can: move within limited spaces, thus optimising storage; operate at higher wind speeds; and is not limited to the TPs’ diameters or weights. The carrier can transport TPs weighing in excess of 600 tonnes and is flexible enough to transport TPs with different base designs.

As additional steel frames are not required, ALE said TPs can easily be positioned onto concrete blocks – which it said are readily available and provide a cost-effective storage option.

The transport frame also provides a safer transport solution as it eliminates the need for working at height, ALE added.

The system is currently in the final stages of being fabricated and will be ready to start working in early 2019, ALE said.

“Offshore renewables is a huge growth market for us and we wanted to ensure we had the optimal solution for port handling operations for our clients,” commented ALE technical sales manager Tomas Villarino. “This is a highly beneficial solution that aids project efficiency and cost reduction, with optimised working conditions that will be compatible with the ever-changing design of TPs to future-proof our offering in the sector.”

ALE has also released a new brochure called ‘onshore capabilities for offshore wind projects. It can be downloaded at: https://www.ale-heavylift.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ALE_Offshore-Wind-Projects-Brochure.pdf