Press release: Yamal megaproject now with 20 Reflex Marine crew transfer carriers

• Press release: In 2020 the fleet of Reflex Marine’s crew transfer carriers used across vessels and platforms in the Yamal megaproject has reached 20 carriers – making it at least one carrier per vessel - Reflex Marine announced today. Yamal project, launched in 2013, is one of the largest and most complex LNG projects in the world.

10 of the crew transfer carriers used in the Yamal projects are of Reflex Marine’s most advanced type - the FROG-XT4; the other 10 are the flexible and small-footprint option - the WAVE-4 basket for standing passengers. The WAVE-4 baskets are used for crew transfers on icebreakers and top-class arctic tankers used in the project, including during ship-to-ship transfers and for contingency. The units are owned or used by MOL LNG, Teekay Shipping, Sovcomflot and Tschudi Shipping. Gazprom, the project operator, opted for the FROG-XT range carriers most suitable for the extreme arctic conditions (see photo below).

‘Although the WAVE-4 was not originally designed for the cold environments of the arctic, we can see that it serves its purpose of safely transferring people even in those demanding conditions’ says Reflex Marine’s Chief Operating Officer, Sandra Antonovic. ‘WAVE-4 was developed in consideration of the requirement for small footprint. We see more and more operators in the LNG industry choosing this option and recognising the range of benefits: flexibility, efficiency of transfers, wide operational window and, most importantly of all, the safety factors.’

Elsewhere in the arctic, marine crew transfer with Reflex Marine’s carriers is the preferred method chosen also by ExxonMobil. In the Sakhalin project, operated by ExxonMobil, there are now over 20 Reflex Marine’s crew transfer units in use every day.

Reflex Marine’s solutions are known globally for their quality and high operating envelope and have contributed to the development of improved safety standards for offshore crew transfer. Their first basket for transfer of passengers in a standing position – the WAVE-4 - is now used in projects around the world, on every continent and in every type of environment: from Australia and tropical South America, through Europe and the Gulf of Mexico to the arctic Russia.

photo credit: Gazprom