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LIFTING & LOAD CONTROL
INNOVATION AT WORK ON RAMPION
Work on the Rampion Offshore Wind project restarted in July with Houlder equipment playing a major role in the installation of turbine foundations. The 400MW Rampion project is being built by E.ON, the UK Green Investment Bank plc and Canadian energy company Enbridge. It is due to be completed in 2018.
INSTALLATION VESSELS
Both the projects’ installation vessels, the Swire Blue Ocean Pacific Orca and MPI Discovery, now have Houlder Pile Restraining Arms and Pile Upending Tools on board. Houlder’s award winning “Gripper” Pile Restraint Arms ensure foundation piles up to 850t in weight are kept vertical as they are hammered into the seabed.
SUCCESSFUL OPERATION
The first pair of arms has been successfully operating on the MPI Discovery vessel since 2013, when MPI contracted Houlder to provide an innovative solution and add capability to their vessel. The second pair was installed over summer while the Swire Blue Ocean Pacific Orca was in Teesport through a leasing agreement direct with Rampion Offshore Windfarm. As with the majority of its projects, Houlder supplied the arms on a turnkey basis - supervising their construction, installation and commissioning.
PILE UPENDING TOOLS
Houlder has also supplied Pile Upending Tools for each vessel. These speed up lifting and upending pile foundations while maintaining safety through remotely hooking the piles up to the ships’ crane. This keeps personnel away from hazardous deck locations and provides the optimal solution where the lifting point overhangs the deck or is otherwise inaccessible. They are self-contained, wireless systems with rechargeable hydraulic and electric supplies. This avoids the need for additional umbilical connections or power lines during lifting operations.
FEATURE SPONSOR
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
James Russell, Houlder’s Marine Equipment Director commented “The fact we have pile handling equipment on both the MPI Discovery and Swire Pacific Orca working on Rampion construction is testament to the knowledge and experience of our engineers.
“They know moving large heavy foundations safely and cost effectively requires ingenious thinking, rigorous analysis and well thought through planning. Now they are operational, we have a chance to learn lessons and improve future iterations. It’s an exciting time to be working in offshore wind.”
Houlder
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www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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