Osbit has delivered a monopile gripper system to the Yunlin offshore wind farm off Taiwan.
Osbit has supplied the equipment to Yunneng Wind Power, which is developing Yunlin Offshore Wind Farm.
The system will be used to support installation activities at the site.
The system works by enabling monopile installation from a moored floating vessel and is designed to handle some of the largest monopiles in the world.
It is deployed and stowed using a deck rail skidding system and is used to maintain the position and verticality of the monopile foundations.
The gripper design is “highly adaptable” for future projects, accommodating monopiles between 6.5 metres and up to 10 metres in diameter, with push forces of up to 300 tonnes.
The system has also been designed for rapid mobilisation and can be adapted to suit different vessel structures.
The system incorporates an integrated near pile noise mitigation system, which minimises the subsea noise and vibration associated with piling activities, complemented by bubble curtain rings which are deployed to dampen the energy emitted into the environment and further protect marine life.
The system has been fabricated in Singapore to suit Yunneng’s project needs, with many sub-systems being shipped across from UK and EU suppliers for assembly.
A full project team has worked on site in Singapore throughout the build, closely collaborating with fabricator Baker Engineering, to deliver the completed gripper.
Following its completion, the Osbit-supplied pile gripper will now be mobilised on to the DLS-4200 vessel and will be deployed in the coming months.
It will be used in conjunction with an upending hinge, which is also being delivered by Osbit.