Economic considerations with respect to offshore wind turbines continue to call for larger units.
Wind turbines will have more size, more weight, and will be located in deeper waters. This passes the ball to the offshore installer who must now use floating installation vessels. Such vessels may offer increased payload and crane capacity, but they will also bring new challenges.

Installation of a wind turbine begins with installation of the monopile. With a floating installation system, vessel motions and wave forces can generate oscillation in the monopile.
A gripper must be able to safeguard the monopile from uncontrolled oscillation during lowering and piling and keep it vertical by compensating the vessel motions in the horizontal plane. The gripper ring must interface with the monopile and compensate for vertical vessel heave, roll, pitch and yaw.

Wouter Rijkee (Technical Project Manager at Huisman) will present the Motion Compensated Pile Gripper, a complete, rugged and effective solution to these challenges.