DARLASTON, WEST MIDLANDS (July 1, 2020) – The installation of wind turbine foundations for a major renewal energy company in the North Sea was at risk of halting when the Hydratight service team creatively found ways to travel to site during the pandemic lockdown.

The UK-based service team were to perform Ultrasonic Load Monitoring, which is a unique and very specialized service that ensures the proper load has been applied to the foundation bolts. Without this service, the joint integrity of the foundation and stability of the fully erected wind turbines would be in jeopardy. Because of the travel restrictions imposed in early April, the Hydratight technicians were driven by car for 10 hours from northwest England, traveled by ferry to Rotterdam to join the vessel that took them to the offshore wind farm in the North Sea.

Once the technicians arrived, they immediately began a rotation that involved pipework for two weeks using proper personal protection equipment (PPE) followed by two weeks of quarantine aboard the vessel. They maintained social distancing and frequent testing to ensure no signs of COVID-19 infection. Due to the quarantine requirements, the job was extended by several weeks, however, the work was completed successfully and with zero incidents.

“If it weren’t for the flexibility and commitment of our Hydratight service technicians, the wind turbine installations would have been put on hold, which would have quickly added up to millions in project delay costs,” said PJ O’Connell, Senior Commercial Director Services – Europe, Hydratight. “Partnering with our customers to safely perform our services is at the core of what we do every day. The pandemic means we need to heighten our focus on safety and innovation to continue to deliver the critical services they depend on.”

About Hydratight

Hydratight is a global market leader in integrity assurance services from controlled bolting and machining to hot tapping, hot bolting, leak sealing and much more. For over 35 years, Hydratight has delivered an unbeatable service track record in the oil & gas and power generation industries with unrivaled levels of safety and reliability. For more information, visit www.hydratight.com.

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