Editor’s note: The equipment described in this release could also be used for placing offshore wind turbine piles.
Recently, the CV-320 upending Vibro Lifting Tool (VLT-U) was used for installation of 13 piles at the Kanaaldok B3 in Antwerpen. These piles will be used to build a jetty to serve as a temporary mooring place. The piles, 35-meters long and 2.9-meters in diameter, were picked up, lifted upright and stabbed and driven as deep as possible, only using the CV-320 VLT-U. All 13 were in position in record time of just four days. After all piles were installed they were driven to final penetration with a 500 kJ Impact Hammer.
The harbor location gave the perfect opportunity for invited contractors and their clients to witness the upending and stabbing capabilities of the Vibro Lifting tool in the comfort of a warm vessel.
Dutch vibro-piling specialist CAPE Holland has successfully developed the application of vibro-hammers for offshore applications and has been leading the way in using multiple linked vibro-hammers in both Offshore Wind and the Oil & Gas industry.
The latest development for reducing the cost of installation and noise emissions has resulted in the Vibro Lifting Tool, a Lloyd’s Register certified lifting appliance, which can be configured with an upending option. This can significantly save on the installation time by reducing the number of handling operations.
The VLT is able to pick up a stored pile (up to 1,600 tons) upend it to a vertical position, lift it to the correct position and drive it down (correcting verticality while driving if necessary) in one single handling operation without the need of a gripper or seabed installation frame. Due to the modular design the equipment can be deployed for the installation of a large range of piles, from small anchor piles to very large XXL Monopiles and anything in between.
Filed Under: Construction, Events, Offshore wind