Gripper system supports installation of offshore Taiwan wind farm monopiles

Offshore staff

RIDING MILL, UK – Osbit has delivered a monopile gripper system to Yunneng Wind Power Co. for the Yunlin Offshore Wind Farm project in Taiwanese waters.

The system enables monopile installation from a moored floating vessel and helps maintain the position and verticality of the foundations. It is deployed and stowed using a deck rail skidding system,

According to Osbit, the gripper design is also adaptable for future projects, accommodating monopiles in diameters ranging from 6.5-10 m (21-33 ft), with push forces up to 300 metric tons (330 tons). In addition, the system allows for swift mobilization and can be adapted to suit different vessel structures.

It incorporates an integrated near-pile noise mitigation system, said to minimize the subsea noise and vibration associated with piling activities, and bubble curtain rings that dampen the energy emitted to the environment.

The system was fabricated in Singapore, with various sub-systems shipped from UK and EU suppliers. A project team worked on site in Singapore throughout construction in cooperation with the fabricator Baker Engineering.

The pile gripper will be mobilized onto the DLS-4200 vessel for deployment in the next few months, for use with an upending hinge that Osbit is also supplying.

4/8/2022