Cost effective installation

While the offshore wind industry is screaming for cost effective and innovative solutions for optimising the installation process, according to Conquest Offshore, this new floating installation concept is ready to launch at just the right time.

The companies have combined their experience and in depth knowledge of floating installation, offshore skidding, upending, pile handling and motion compensated tools to come up with a revolutionary new concept.

A newly designed and time effective skidding system makes a full deck load on the 136 metre barge possible. The ability to upend monopiles (from deck and floating) and the use of a specially designed motion compensated pile gripper provide the means for floating installation. During hammering, hydraulic cylinders actively compensate the motions of the barge to ensure the right inclination of the pile.

Conventionally monopiles are installed by jack-up units with higher day rates and less deck space than floating barges. By taking advantage of the large deck space on the barge Conquest claim they can reduce the time and costs needed for transportation of monopiles and transition pieces and use the barge as floating storage – which altogether means that efficient floating installation has a much more competitive day rate.

On top of this, claim Conquest, the floating installation concept is completely independent of the soil conditions and water depth.

By Jake Frith