Osbit in the UK has been awarded a contract by Sapura Energy to design and build a pile gripper for the foundations for offshore wind turbines
The pile gripper will initially be used to support the development of wpd’s Yunlin offshore windfarm, the first large offshore windfarm to be constructed in the rapidly developing Taiwanese market.
The system will be installed on a heavy lift vessel operated by Sapura Energy and will support the installation of the windfarm’s 80 monopile foundations, which are each 8 m in diameter.
The system is designed to facilitate monopile installation from a moored floating vessel. The pile gripper will maintain the position and verticality of monopile foundations and be deployed and stowed using a deck rail skidding system.
To future-proof the system for the evolving wind market, Osbit’s design is able to accommodate monopiles of 6.5-10 m in diameter, with push forces up to 300 tonnes.
The system will include a control cabin design and an integrated near-pile noise mitigation system, which helps to reduce subsea noise associated with piling activity.
The project is now underway at Osbit’s Northumberland headquarters and will be delivered to meet a 30-week lead-time.
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