The Hoeflon TC1 as a carrier for offshore gangways
With the Hoeflon TC1, you add material transport to your gangway system without having to develop a tracked vehicle yourself. The TC1 is compact, electric, low-profile, and can be integrated into your own system via CAN bus. Exactly what is needed on wet, sloping, and narrow gangways.
For walk-to-work systems
The gangway provides access. The carrier takes the material with them.
An offshore gangway safely transports people from ship to platform or wind turbine. However, in practice, tools, parts, and other materials must also be transported. This transport is often difficult: the passage is narrow, the ground can be wet, and the slope changes along with the movement between the ship and the installation.
The Hoeflon TC1 was developed for precisely these kinds of challenging transport movements. At 700 mm wide, it remains compact enough for restricted passages. The crawler drive maintains grip where wheels might slip. And because the TC1 is electrically powered, it meets the safety and emission requirements of offshore environments.
Manual hauling or in-house development is not a scalable solution.
Gangway manufacturers supply a system designed to make access reliable and safe. If material transport is not properly integrated into this system, manual work, extra crew, or a separate piece of equipment that does not integrate well with the gangway system will still result.
Developing an in-house carrier might seem logical, but it requires time, engineering, certification, maintenance, and inventory. Moreover, the vehicle must maintain grip on wet and sloping walkways, remain compact enough for passage, and work safely with the rest of the system.
• Wet and sloping surfaces make wheeled transport vulnerable.
• Narrow gangways leave little room for large equipment.
• Moving material manually takes time and places a physical strain on people.
• In-house development requires extensive engineering and maintenance.
• The transport vehicle must fit within the overall gangway system.
The Hoeflon solution
An existing carrier base that you do not have to engineer yourself
The TC1 is not a separate trolley alongside the system, but an electric crawler platform that can be integrated into the application. With this, Hoeflon delivers a proven carrier base: compact, electric, on tracks, and designed for professional use with heavy loads.
Thanks to CAN bus control, the TC1 can be integrated with the gangway builder's software. This makes material transport a logical part of the overall walk-to-work system, without you having to develop a chassis, drive system, and control layer from scratch.
Less manual hauling, less in-house development work, and a more professional solution for material transport along the gangway.
Why Hoeflon
For a gangway builder, a carrier is only interesting if it does more than just drive. It must fit within the system, be technically integrable, and be reliable enough for a professional offshore application. That is where the difference lies compared to generic crawler platforms or an internal development process.
Hoeflon builds compact machines for situations where space, weight, and control are the determining factors. That experience is reflected in the TC1: a low center of gravity, compact dimensions, crawler drive, electric drive, and integration options for software and tooling.
Existing carrier base
You do not start with your own development track, but with an existing Hoeflon platform.
Compact with capacity
The TC1 combines a compact size with a 1000 kg capacity.
Electric and professional
Quiet, electric, and suitable for professional indoor and outdoor applications.
Integration possible
CAN bus control and a tool connection up to 48V/60A enable system integration.
Why TC1
The TC1 is particularly interesting for offshore gangways because it remains compact without becoming a simple transport cart. The machine is 700 mm wide, 335 mm high, and weighs 325 kg. At the same time, it has a capacity of 1,000 kg and runs on tracks. As a result, it fits the combination that makes gangways challenging: limited space, varying ground conditions, slopes, and the need to transport material in a controlled manner.
The TC1 is the logical first carrier for gangway builders who want to add material transport without developing their own vehicle platform.
700 mm wide
Relevant for narrow passages and limited corridor space.
Low design
Helps keep the carrier stable and usable where height is undesirable.
Crawler drive
Grip on wet and sloping surfaces where wheels are vulnerable.
Electrically powered
Clean and quiet operation without fuel logistics on the gangway.
Remote RC6
Remote control, so that the operator maintains control around the load.
CAN bus
Suitable for using the carrier not as a standalone unit, but as part of the system.
Why this works
Built for the conditions on a gangway
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Grip where wheels can slip The crawler drive conforms to the ground and maintains grip on wet or sloping surfaces.
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Compact enough for narrow passages The TC1 is 700 mm wide and low-built, allowing material to be transported without unnecessarily blocking the passage.
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Reduced manual transport Tools, parts, and material can be moved along the gangway in a single motion.
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Integratable via CAN bus The TC1 can be controlled from the gangway builder's software.
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Electric, quiet, and clean Fully electric drive meets offshore requirements regarding safety, noise, and emissions.
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No in-house carrier development required Use an existing Hoeflon platform instead of developing and maintaining a vehicle yourself.
For builders of gangways and walk-to-work systems
This application is particularly relevant for companies that develop, build, or integrate offshore access systems and wish to make material transport part of their solution. The carriers are selected by: gangway builders, walk-to-work system integrators, offshore equipment builders, OEMs wishing to integrate an electric crawler platform, and service and maintenance concepts surrounding offshore platforms and wind turbines.
From application to integrated carrier solution
Discuss the gangway and transport task
What needs to be moved over the gangway, how much space is available, and what slopes or conditions are involved?
Determine the right carrier base
Hoeflon assists with size, load, control, integration, and potential future capacity.
Coordinate technical integration
Together, we determine how the carrier can connect to software, controls, safety logic, and any tooling.
Test the application
Where necessary, the carrier can be inspected or tested in practice to clarify how it functions within the gangway concept.
Contact Wessel
Tell Wessel how your gangway is used, what material needs to be transported, and what integration requirements apply. Hoeflon helps determine the right carrier, technical connection, and next step.
