The project
Hydrauvision is proud to announce the successful design and construction of two 4-meter-high, offshore certified umbilical winches, commissioned by Heerema Marine Contractors. The winches supply F.lli Righini Srl’s World-First Lifting and Upending Tools for a German Offshore Wind Farm on board Heerema Marine Contractors’ SSCV Thialf.
The innovative tools enable the upending and installation of monopiles, using both cranes on SSCV Thialf. “Its main feature is an interchangeable system designed to lift and upend both flanged and unflanged monopiles, facilitated by a special system positioned underneath the main frame of the tool. Additionally, it includes a rotation system for turning the monopile itself and is engineered and built to accommodate various diameters, with the capability to handle piles up to 8.5 meters in diameter and weighing up to 2000 tonnes.” (Cavalic, 2024)
Our approach
Given the operational requirement for the tools to rotate and manoeuvre during operation, Hydrauvision received the contract to design umbilical winches. They supply the monopile lifting and upending tools with hydraulics and control signals via fibre optics.
The design of the winches is based on the umbilical winches from our Rental fleet. We redesigned the spooling device and incorporated a guiding horn to ensure the precise management of hoses and cables during spooling and unwinding. Nets were employed to securely bundle the various hydraulic hoses and data cables together.
A skidding system is used for onboard movement of the monopile handling tool. Hydrauvision developed and supplied the drive and the controls of the skidding system to move the monopile handling tool into the monopile.
Our offshore-certified service engineers played a vital role in the project, commissioning the hydraulic equipment and connecting all umbilical cables to the tools. They also provided essential on-board support during operations.
In late May, the project reached a significant milestone when Heerema’s SSCV Thialf successfully installed the first monopile foundations and transition pieces. This achievement marks a step forward in offshore wind energy, underscoring the reliability and innovation of Hydrauvision’s solutions.
Cavalic, A. (2024, 23 May). F.lli Righini Delivers to Heerema Marine Contractors World-First Lifting and Upending Tools for the EnBW He Dreiht Offshore Wind Farm. OffshoreWIND.biz. Referenced on 6 June 2024, via https://www.offshorewind.biz/2024/05/23/f-lli-righini-delivers-to-heerema-marine-contractors-world-first-lifting-and-upending-tools-for-the-enbw-he-dreiht-offshore-wind-farm/
Photo ©EnBW/Weltangler
