The operator of an offshore wind service operation vessel (SOV) asked Medway Access & Rescue to look at the vessel’s working at height and rescue capability. The crew are not rescue-trained, and none currently hold a recognised working at height and rescue certification.
Support Services Provider: Medway Access & Rescue
Client: Offshore wind service operation vessel (SOV) operator
Services Provided: Working at height and rescue capability review, rescue equipment and training recommendations, vessel safety and rescue audit proposal
Project Location: Onboard a service operation vessel supporting offshore wind operations
Sector: Offshore wind energy
Objectives:
Assess how quickly and reliably a casualty could be rescued from working positions around the vessel.
Recommend a rescue approach that a crew without rescue training can use under pressure.
Keep the crew’s existing equipment in use where it still has value.
Bring crew competency in line with the wind technicians who regularly transfer to and from the vessel.
Project Overview
The operator of an offshore wind service operation vessel (SOV) asked Medway Access & Rescue to look at the vessel’s working at height and rescue capability. The crew are not rescue-trained, and none currently hold a recognised working at height and rescue certification.
The deck team has a 4:1 mechanical advantage pulley system with 100 m of rope. That gives good raising and lowering capacity for a planned, resourced rescue, but it relies on correct rigging, careful management of the mechanical advantage and a coordinated haul team. For a crew without rescue training, that adds decision points and technique that slow the response and raise the chance of error, especially when a rescue has to happen fast or in an area the team has not rehearsed.
Medway reviewed the existing provision, recommended a simpler first-response rescue approach, and proposed a full vessel safety and rescue audit as the next step.
Equipment and Resources Involved
The recommendation builds on the crew’s existing 4:1 system with two purpose-built additions, each designed to do one job well:
A controlled rate descender (Skylotec Milan 2.0): compact and quick to rig to a pre-identified anchor, with auto-descent so a single rescuer can lower a casualty at a fixed, controlled rate. It is available in lengths from short-drop to full-height.
A powered rescue option (Milan 2.0 with the RDD drill drive): turns the same device into a powered hoist for rapid retrieval. Manufacturer figures are roughly a 10 m lift in under two minutes, rated to 100 kg per battery charge and up to 280 kg in an emergency.
A reach rescue kit (Gotcha CRD Reach): lets a rescuer attach to a casualty’s harness from a distance using a hook-and-pole system, then pairs with the descender for a controlled lowering.
| System | Best Suited To | Operator Burden |
|---|---|---|
| Existing 4:1 pulley, 100 m rope | Planned, resourced haul with a multi-person team and time to rig | Higher: needs correct rigging, mechanical advantage management and a haul team |
| Controlled rate descender (Skylotec Milan 2.0) | Direct lowering rescue from a known anchor point, one rescuer | Low: auto-descent at a fixed, controlled rate, minimal technique |
| Powered rescue option (Milan 2.0 with RDD) | Rapid raising or retrieval rather than lowering, such as man-overboard-adjacent or below-platform recovery | Low: battery-drill driven, roughly a 10 m lift in under 2 minutes |
| Reach rescue kit (Gotcha CRD Reach) | Casualty out of direct reach, over the side or beyond arm’s length | Low: attach at a distance with the reach pole, then lower under control |
Risk Assessment and Controls
The review looked at the situations in which the crew would most need to carry out a rescue, and matched each to a control.
| Scenario | Risk | Recommended control |
|---|---|---|
| Casualty suspended over the side | Casualty cannot be reached directly | Reach rescue kit attaches to the casualty’s harness from a distance, then a controlled rate descender lowers them under control |
| Casualty below the work platform | Needs fast retrieval, not lowering | Powered rescue option raises the casualty rapidly without switching systems or crewing a haul team |
| Rescue by a crew without rescue training | Slow or error-prone response under pressure | Simple, repeatable devices: pick up, clip on, descend. GWO Working at Height & Rescue training for the crew |
| Rescue in an area the crew has not rehearsed | Delay while equipment is brought in | Rescue kits positioned at each work area, with an area-specific rescue plan for every zone |
Methodology
Review of current provision: the existing 4:1 system and 100 m rope were assessed for what they do well and where they depend on technique and crew numbers.
Suitability for the crew: the system was considered against a crew that is not rescue-trained, focusing on decision points, speed and error risk under pressure.
Matching devices to scenarios: lowering, raising and reach rescue were each matched to a purpose-built device with a low operator burden.
Training standard: the GWO Basic Safety Training Working at Height & Rescue module was recommended over a generic in-house course.
Proposed audit: a full working at height and rescue audit covering existing equipment, anchor points, access routes and crew competency, reviewed against the work carried out on board.
Outcomes and Recommendations
A simple first-response approach: pick up, clip on, descend. It stays repeatable whoever is on shift, not just for people who regularly rig rescue systems.
The existing 4:1 system retained as a secondary option for planned, resourced recoveries. The new devices are a faster first response, not a replacement.
Kits positioned at each identified work area, so response does not depend on moving one system around the vessel.
Training to the GWO Basic Safety Training Working at Height & Rescue standard, delivered by Medway on board or shore-side, or through an approved external provider. Certification is valid for 24 months, so the renewal cycle matches other rescue training schemes.
Because the wind technicians who transfer to and from the vessel hold the same qualification, any GWO-certified technician on board in a real event would already understand the equipment and technique the crew are using.
Proposed next step: a full vessel safety and rescue audit producing area-specific rescue plans, one for each identified work zone and written so that a crew without rescue training can carry them out without hesitation. The scope also includes an equipment gap analysis, an anchor point survey and drill and competency recommendations.
Conclusion
This review shows how rescue capability can be matched to the people who will actually have to use it. By choosing simple, purpose-built equipment, planning rescue zone by zone and training to the same standard as the technicians on board, Medway Access & Rescue helps vessel operators move from a system that depends on specialists to one that any crew member can use with confidence.
Need rescue capability for your vessel or offshore site?
Talk to Medway Access & Rescue about a working at height and rescue audit, rescue plans and crew training.