EPL Skylift gets workers offshore

In order to carry out maintenance on the propellers of its specially designed wind turbine installation vessel, MPI Offshore employed a Ruthmann T58R truck-mounted platform from rental specialist EPL Skylift.

The T58R, which has a working height of 58m and can support up to 500kg, was deployed to work on the MPI Resolution, a ship designed to install wind turbines in the North Sea.

MPI Resolution was raised out of the water on its six giant jacks, which are used to create a firm working platform up to 46m above the sea. Then, the T58R platform's boom was sent out across the water to the 15000t ship's hull.

The T58R truck-mounted platform was hired for three days to allow work to be carried out on thrusters at the bow of the vessel, giving the maintenance team safe access to the propellers. The truck-mount was chosen because of its ability to easily cover the horizontal distance between the dock and the raised ship, while also supporting the weight of the engineering team and equipment and being able to speedily set-up and depart from the busy quayside.

MPI's technical superintendant, Dave Galloway, chose EPL Skylift because of its specialist equipment and proven record on reliability. He said the performance of the T58R platform was "even better than expected."

Mr Galloway added: "The availability of a dock is not always guaranteed, so it was crucial that we worked to the time that we had. The platform presented us with a readily-available solution that gave us a convenient option to get the work done quickly and safely.

"If we had used scaffolding we'd have had to have been welding it to the vessel, whilst if we'd used a barge we'd have been reliant on the tides. The EPL Skylift option gave us a clean and reliable answer to the problem.

"The speed with which we were able to complete the job made a huge difference and allowed us to continue our operations with minimal disruption."