Jack-up barge access solutions

Access is one of the riskier routine parts of a jack-up campaign. The platform sits clear of the water on its legs, the transfer vessel moves in the seaway and the gap between them has to be crossed by people and equipment, often in marginal weather. A poorly matched access arrangement delays the job and exposes the crew; a well-engineered one keeps the route stable and the operation moving. We design and supply the full range of access solutions for jack-up barges and self-elevating platforms, matched to the hull, the boarding vessel and the conditions on site.

What problem it solves

Boarding a jacked-up platform from a crew transfer vessel, a workboat or a quay all impose different geometries and different motions and the access route has to absorb the relative movement without putting the crew at risk. Fixed or under-specified arrangements force transfers to be abandoned in conditions that a properly engineered, motion-tolerant system would handle, costing weather days and tying the campaign to narrow windows. We engineer the access route to the actual interface so transfers stay safe across a wider operating envelope.

The range

• Boarding ladders – including our class-recognised, shock-absorbing JackLad™ 650 for CTV-to-jack-up transfer, delivered in multiple variants for different hulls and mounting needs.
• Gangways & brows – for transfer to and from quays, workboats and adjacent structures, engineered for the span and the relative motion.
• Stairtowers, walkways & platforms – fixed and modular access around the deck, legs and overside, to working-at-height and means-of-access standards.
• Cargo & personnel handling access – engineered routes and interfaces for landing stores, tooling and personnel safely onto a working deck.
• Industry best practice – working to IJUBOA (International Jack-Up Barge Operators Association) best-practice guidelines alongside the relevant class and statutory requirements.

Engineered to standards

Access structures are designed to the recognised marine, structural and means-of-access standards (DNV, Bureau Veritas, BS EN ISO 14122 means-of-access and the relevant working-at-height codes), with the shock-absorption and motion behaviour engineered in where the interface demands it and class certification to suit the project. Like the rest of our jack-up scope, access can be supplied new, integrated into a barge conversion or retrofitted to an existing platform.