26/05/25

Rope Access Noord: more than a rope access specialist

One of AYOP’s newest members is Rope Access Noord. The company is originally a specialist in the field of rope access and access to hard-to-reach places. But thanks to their extensive knowledge and experience and ‘can-do mentality’, they are more than just a rope access company. We will discuss this with owner Derk Battjes.

 

More than a rope access specialist

Anyone who looks at the website of Rope Access Noord (RAN) will soon see that they ‘hang in the ropes every day’. They do this in various places and for various sectors. Owner Derk Battjes says: “We often have the first access to hard-to-reach places. We carry out work there ourselves or create access for other parties who have to carry out work. We are then the reconnaissance team that checks whether the access is safe.” But the work goes much further than just rope access, says Derk: “We actually only climb and abseil 50% of the time. We also do high-altitude rescue, provide training and sell and rent various materials. In fact, we do everything that has to do with hard-to-reach places, with or without the use of rope techniques.”

Safety first

Safety is of vital importance when working in hard-to-reach places. “At Rope Access Noord, safety is really our number one priority. We are very safety-minded. Our motto is: think first, then act. We always start with a risk assessment and a plan of action. We only get started when everything is OK,” says Derk. RAN is also there where things can go wrong. They develop rescue plans, carry out rescues and provide training in ‘working safely at height’ and ‘working safely in confined spaces’.

Technical all-rounders

With approximately 25 employees and 200 different freelancers and subcontractors, RAN has a lot of knowledge in-house, also in the field of technology: “We are a real hands-on company and our team has a lot of technical skills. This ensures that we can take on very diverse jobs. When we are not hanging in a rope, for example when we are on board a ship, we also like to make ourselves useful. We then help with inspections or installations. Another example is that we can use rope access to perform inspections on turbines or apply coating or tapes to rotor blades,” says Derk.

Opportunities in the offshore energy sector

Offshore energy is an important sector for Rope Acces Noord: “We have new services that can be very interesting for companies in the offshore oil and gas sector, for example. An example of this is the lightweight hanging scaffolding ‘‘WEB Deck’. We can supply and install this and the company’s own staff can then use it.” Offshore wind is becoming increasingly important and is generating more and more work, Derk notes: “We do a lot for the offshore wind market. Here too, we offer more than just rope access, for example also NDT inspections, drone inspections, rotor blade inspections, welding and assembly work. That is why we have the trade name Wind Solutions.”

An unexpected project

Derk tells us about a project they did a few years ago, during the installation of the Merkur offshore wind farm in Germany: “Here we did a so-called ‘bolt tensioning project’ for DEME Offshore. During the installation of a wind turbine, transition pieces are mounted on the monopiles as quickly as possible. The bolts have to be tightened very quickly, because the installation vessel has a tight schedule. The bolts are tightened with a pressure of approximately 1500 bar and a bolt tension of 1700kN, so your equipment and skills really have to be in order. The nice thing is that this project actually came in based on a request for equipment rental. When we asked who would use the equipment, because it requires some training, we were allowed to bid for the job. In the end we got it and we worked on this project for months, day and night with teams and we collaborated with many different partners.”

First experiences with AYOP

Derk describes AYOP membership as a warm bath: “The contact with Machteld and Dionne is very pleasant. I recently went on the trip to WindEurope Copenhagen and that was very well organised. We want to establish ourselves more strongly in the region and that is why it was a logical step to become a member of AYOP. We already work together with a number of members. For example, we have a very good collaboration with Industrieel Klimmen from IJmuiden. We complement each other well in terms of skills and offer. And in Copenhagen I also made several new contacts.”

Looking for a space in the region

At the moment, Rope Access Noord is still located in Groningen and Eemshaven, but they are urgently looking for a space in our region: “Many of our partners and customers are located in the area of ​​the North Sea Canal area and