MAKING WAVES

William Hackett provides below the hook lifting products into the lifting, oil & gas, renewables, offshore, utilities and rail markets globally. It announced the launch of its WH C4 QP (Quad Pawl) technology last year, along with a subsea version, with high corrosion-protection for offshore operations, thanks to a longterm investment strategy to develop lifting solutions to mitigate potential areas of risks and failure.

The WH C4 range of chain hoists are the only chain hoists to incorporate a QP mechanism for onshore use and endurance tested to twice the required industry norm. With double the number of offset pawls in a chain hoist, from two to four, the load is spread securely against the ratchet gear to provide increased redundancy and resilience for the user.

It also signed a partnership with Nobles in January to supply the Quad Pawl technology hoisting range across Australia. Craig Adams, business development & commercial sales manager at William Hackett Lifting Products, said it launched the first ever subsea lever hoist to incorporate four pawl mechanical engagement which has been of extreme interest to contractors working offshore. The patented pawl design enhances the capabilities of the hoist allowing all four pawls to engage with the ratchet gear in an offset configuration. If both pawl springs were to fail the quad pawl would maintain full engagement with the ratchet gear.

“We are continuing to see increasing success with our Quad Pawl technology, especially in regards to high corrosion protection, and companies are now coming to us as they want to replace their products with Quad Pawl as part of their in-house safety policies. They want to incorporate this technology into their operations because of their resilience to failure. We have especially seen a huge upsurge in demand for this product since its launch,” said Ben Burgess, director William Hackett.

Burgess said the company recently returned from the face-to-face Subsea Expo in Aberdeen where it signed a contract with a lifeboat manufacturer, which wants to use William Hackett’s Master Links and Quad Assemblies on its lifeboats, not specifically hoisting but used in conjunction with the cranes that lower the lifeboats into the water as an added safety benefit during emergency calls. Next, William Hackett is exhibiting at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston in May.

The company has also signed a distribution agreement with Will Dunn, CEO, Lifting Equipment Store (LES) USA to supply William Hackett branded chain slings made and proof tested in the USA.

“We have various distributors in the US for different products but not for made up chain slings. We are the largest manufacturer of chain slings in the UK, manufacturing up to 20,000 chain slings a year. In the US we sell the components but not the made up chain slings. Holloway Houston Industrial Lifting & Rigging Supplies will be doing the manufacture and licence for us. We also have some exciting product developments to announce in the next couple of months. We are just awaiting proof testing in Alnwick, Northumberland,” added Burgess.

Dunn said LES USA was extremely proud to announce its brand new distribution partnership with William Hackett Lifting Products in the US.

“This partnership sees Lifting Equipment Store USA gain access to the extensive range of high-quality William Hackett chain slings - all available to order online now. Grade 100 Chain Slings - Single-Leg, Double-Leg & 4-Leg with capacities starting from 1.4 tons to 10 tons,” he said.

In other news, 3t EnerMech, Orinduik Development and Windsor Technologies have announced they will launch Guyana’s first oil and gas training centre for the local workforce, supporting the development of the country’s fast growing offshore oil and gas sector.

The venture will provide an internationally accredited facility in alignment with building on the recent enacted local content policy.

Established to empower and provide Guyanese with key skills and training certifications that are required to work in the offshore environment, the 3t EnerMech Guyana Training Centre of Excellence combines expert instruction in classroom training facilities, blended learning software and technology, and fully immersive simulators for high hazard activity learning.

Located in Lusignan, over $20m has been invested into the infrastructure by Orinduik, Windsor and 3t EnerMech. EnerMech, the global integrated solutions specialist, is one half of the 3t EnerMech strategic alliance which draws on EnerMech’s experience, complemented by 3t Energy Group’s training capability, learning technology and training management services, to deliver bestin- class learning experiences specifically tailored for its clients.

The 3t EnerMech Guyana Training Centre of Excellence is set to become the first regional Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) internationally accredited training provider in Guyana. It will also deliver the country’s first OPITO approved, Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET) certification, as well as providing a controlled environment to deliver scenario-based firefighting emergency response training when relevant accreditations are secured early in 2022.

“It’s our mission to develop local content globally and to help create safer, smarter, more sustainable workforces. Until now, Guyana nationals working in the oil and gas sector would be required to travel to Trinidad and Tobago, the US or Canada, for accredited training, making it very costly and time consuming. This is compounded by the logistical challenges of the pandemic including travel restrictions, additional requirements, and limited flight availability,” said Joseph Lichon, president of the Americas region, EnerMech.

Paul Knowles, VP Training for 3t Energy Group added: “With Orinduik constructing the 3t EnerMech Guyana Training Centre of Excellence, coupled with our expertise, technologies, and programmes, we are providing a full package to help support the country’s personnel to excel in the oil and gas sector. We are very proud to play a critical role Guyana’s future and enhance its economic prosperity by making accredited skills and safety training available in country for the first time.”

Construction of the Training Centre is expected to be completed in June 2022.

Irizar Forge together with Van Beest Group, has created a Mooring division to strengthen the focus of this niche market in the offshore industry.

Before creating the separate mooring division, Mooring was part of its offshore sales area together with top site lifting & rigging, as well as subsea special lifting operations for installation purposes.

But now that the Covid-19 pandemic is relatively under control, it has pushed its strategic plans forward, creating a separate and new structure within the organization.

According to Maria Lasa Irizar, managing director, Irizar Forge, an assortment and variety of chain fittings approved by DNV-GL & ABS for Long Term Mooring Accessories, will be launched in Europe during WindEurope Annual Event 2022 in Bilbao this month and during OTC in Houston, Texas in May.

“The current energy transition is demanding renewables farms off and far away from the shore where the high and constant wind natural source is. Wind Turbines need to be large and few to be efficient, production wise as well as minimizing maintenance and installation costs. These kind of farms are floating solutions in very deep sea waters where the moorings are installed and needs to ensure the equipment for at least 20-25 years production with, no special issues,” she said.

“To guarantee a 20-25 year lifespan in very deep waters, requires products with the highest quality standards to be used in the harshest environments. The product design approvals are a very important part of the project managements for any job, having as a result unique products approved to work on one specific site only (LTM Certs) or approved for multiple sites (as Type Approvals are for temporary lines).

“Irizar and Van Beest are proud of this step forward in our strategic path to maintain the current position in the market and grow the diversification process adapting to the Energy Transition.”

In other news, it has been nearly two years since The Crosby Group, a supplier in lifting, rigging, and material handling hardware completed the acquisition of Feubo, a specialist provider of offshore mooring components for the oil and gas and wind energy markets.

The purchase included Feubo’s facility in Hattingen, Germany, that has continued to serve as a centre of excellence for mooring components. It is equipped to support the installation and safe operation of floating wind turbines, typically mounted on a floating structure that allows the turbine to generate electricity in water depths where fixed-foundation turbines are not suitable.

The Hattingen facility is also a focal point for key testing, engineering, and innovation, which notably led to the launch of the HFL Kenter, a high fatigue life shackle, based on the Crosby Feubo NDur Link.

“The floating wind industry remains relatively embryonic, and it needs product engineering and innovation partners to collaborate on products that can improve safety and reduce costs. The HFL Kenter for temporary mooring is just an example of how a new product can be developed and broadly deployed within an industry to achieve industry goals,” said Mike Duncan, business development manager, The Crosby Group.

He added, the HFL Kenter is an accessory used for temporary and mobile mooring applications, such as rigging and anchoring Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs) or vessels. It represents the latest state-of-the-art evolution of a shackle concept that is over 100 years old. Finite Element Analysis, a method of numerically solving differential equations in engineering and mathematical modelling, was used to identify stress hot spots and re-engineer the product.

“In fatigue comparison tests in simulated marine environments, we were able to show that the Kenter boasts eight times more cycles. This has allowed us to show the floating wind sector our ability to engineer, innovate, and deliver products of high quality and proven fatigue life, for their specific, demanding applications,” he said.

Duncan reiterated the capabilities of The Crosby Group’s center of excellence for mooring in Hattingen, Germany, whichboasts dynamic testing machines that test mooring chains and components up to capacities of 60,000 kN, as well as fatigue testing in simulated marine environments. The facility can test and validate in real-time the fatigue life of components in association with DNV GL Type Approval Certificate, acknowledging that its equipment meets the rigorous standards of the global quality assurance and risk management company for their use offshore.

If you want to learn more about what is happening in the subsea and offshore sector, the UK Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) has scheduled a series of free to view, sector-specific webinars to be held on Zoom throughout 2022, featuring the Oil & Gas sector on April 28, 2022.