Published on: 09 June 2020
KTN, in partnership with Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, offshore wind health and safety group G+ and Workboat Association, has launched a new challenge on the KTN-iX platform seeking a rapid solution to increase physical separation during small vessel transit for offshore wind turbine technicians.
Social distancing rules in operation during the COVID-19 pandemic are forcing some operators to limit offshore crew transfer vessels (CTVs) operations to a maximum of four passengers, a considerable reduction from the usual 12 or 24. This impacts the amount of work that can be undertaken on a wind farm, impacting jobs and ultimately energy production.
The KTN-iX challenge has been launched in search of a rapid solution to address the physical separation of technicians in the confined spaces onboard CTVs, improving the safety of personnel required to continue to travel to undertake wind farm inspection, maintenance and repair and allowing an increase in passenger and crew numbers.
The innovation call presents a significant commercial opportunity to the successful solution provider, with the potential to offer the solution to workboat operators in other industries.
This challenge closes tomorrow, 12 June. For more information on the functional requirements and to submit a solution, visit KTN-iX here.
For members wishing to stay up-to-date with the latest developments on COVID-19, please visit our dedicated Coronavirus Hub.