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Every offshore wind turbine requires safe, reliable access. Traditionally, this has meant separate boat landings and ladders for personnel transfer, alongside dedicated davit cranes for lifting cargo. This dual-system approach increases structural steel, platform footprint, installation complexity and lifetime cost.
Technician transfers between Crew Transfer Vessels and fixed ladders also introduce risk, particularly in higher sea states. Long ladder climbs in full PPE add physical strain and exposure.
Pict Offshore set out to redefine this model.
GUSx2 is a single integrated offshore hoisting system designed to replace both the boat landing and the standalone davit crane, combining personnel and cargo transfer within one engineered platform.
To realise that ambition, Pict required a re-engineered control architecture capable of delivering higher performance, improved diagnostics and a structured safety framework to support certification.
iconsys was selected to design and develop the complete control system hardware and software for the GUSx2 prototype.
GUSx2 video courtesy of Pict Offshore.
GUSx2 builds on Pict’s GUS150, a heave-compensated personnel lifting solution, developed in collaboration with Orsted and deployed at scale onto four commercial offshore wind farms in the UK and USA. However, with the addition of davit crane cargo lifting functionality, the GUSx2 control platform has undergone a major transformation.
Approximately 95 per cent of the PLC software has been optimised using the latest Siemens motion standards within a Siemens S7-1500TF architecture, integrated with SINAMICS S120 servo drives. The new platform leverages Siemens Technology Objects and Dynamic Servo Control to unlock significantly enhanced motion performance.
One of the most visible improvements is deck-tracking accuracy.
With GUSx2, the deviation between vessel deck and hook position has been optimised to approximately 50mm or less during heave compensation, enabled by a 2ms motion cycle time and tightly integrated drive control.
In practical terms, this delivers markedly smoother, safer, more precise heave compensation and improved transfer stability.
In addition to motion performance, the software has been restructured using modular Software Units within TIA Portal. Personnel, cargo and safety functions are clearly segregated, creating a scalable architecture that supports future products and simplifies long-term maintenance.
As a Siemens Technology partner, iconsys was a perfect choice for the project, given their longstanding partnership. This represents the optimal solution for achieving the required performance, integration depth and functional safety objectives for this application.
“GUSx2 is a pivotal product for Pict Offshore and we selected iconsys for their deep expertise across software, drives, electrical design and functional safety.
The software architecture has been developed with a level of optimisation and modularity that is significantly beyond our previous generation system. It is cleaner, more maintainable and better structured for future product development.
The safety-led methodology and documentation discipline have positioned us strongly as we move towards certification. Beyond the technical delivery, the openness and collaborative mindset throughout the project were critical in helping us make informed design decisions and manage development within fixed funding constraints.
GUSx2 represents a significant technical evolution and iconsys has been instrumental in helping us reach this stage.”
— Eddie McLaren, Pict Offshore Ltd
Head of Product Development
GUSx2 incorporates light-touch lessons from first-generation deployments, translating operational experience into structural, software and diagnostic enhancements across
This significantly strengthens maintainability and assurances around asset status and operational readiness.
The development process followed a structured V-model approach aligned with ISO 13849-1:2023, with defined safety architecture and Performance Level targets. As GUSx2 progresses through formal validation, the safety documentation and analysis framework position Pict Offshore strongly for certification.
By replacing both the traditional boat landing and separate davit crane, GUSx2 simplifies the platform interface, reduces structural requirements and streamlines installation.
For smaller wind farms of around 10 turbines, the combined capital and lifecycle efficiencies can amount to savings in the hundreds of thousands of pounds. On large-scale developments comprising 100 or more turbines, aggregated savings have the potential to extend into the millions, depending on project configuration.
Beyond capital considerations, GUSx2 delivers operational advantages that further strengthen the business case. The heave-compensated system enables safer access across a wider range of sea states, reducing aborted transfers and extending workable access windows without increasing risk.
The system can also be powered directly from a vessel during early construction phases, allowing crane operation before turbine energisation. This supports earlier access during critical build stages and improves overall project productivity.
GUSx2 has been launched at major offshore wind events to a strongly positive market response that indicate significant sales opportunities.
With over 330 GUS150 systems deployed globally and more than 20,000 technician transfers completed since 2022, Pict Offshore has established a proven foundation for this new ‘smart winch’ form of offshore access. GUSx2 now represents the pivotal next phase of product evolution — a scalable, high-performance access platform designed for upcoming wind farm developments scheduled for construction from 2028 onwards.
By combining high-performance motion control, structured functional safety development and a modular, future-ready software platform, iconsys has supported Pict Offshore in transforming offshore wind access.
GUSx2 demonstrates how intelligent control system architecture can unlock measurable safety, performance and commercial gains across the lifecycle of a wind farm.
iconsys is technology and platform independent. We work in partnership with you and develop solutions using the optimal combination of control, power and automation technologies to meet performance, lifecycle and safety objectives without vendor lock-in.
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