Offshore equipment supplier
Osbit has secured a contract with Seajacks to design and build a monopile
upending bucket, to be used by the vessel operator in its offshore wind turbine
installation projects.
The system will initially
support the development of the large-scale, bottom-fixed Akita and Noshiro Offshore
Wind Farms in Akita Prefecture, part of Japan’s renewable energy expansion
being developed by Akita Offshore Wind Corporation (AOW), with Kajima
Corporation as the project’s EPCI contractor.
The monopile upending tool
will be installed on Seajacks Zaratan vessel and has been optimised to suit the
monopile diameter for the wind farm project.
The pile upending system
will be mounted on self-propelled modular transporters to extend the capacity
of the vessel’s existing 800 tonne crane, enabling more efficient offshore pile
driving. A simple and robust control system has been incorporated into the
design, in response to the need for reliable performance in a high-pressure
offshore environment.
Key components for the
Osbit design will be manufactured in the UK, with final assembly taking place
in Singapore, to suit client requirements. The project is underway, and
delivery is planned for Q1 2021.
Osbit Engineer Phil
Pennington, who led the firm’s technical bid, said: “Seajacks has specific
goals for this project, to make more possible with their existing installation
vessel. Osbit’s track record in delivering efficient and reliable equipment
tailored to our clients’ requirements makes us a good fit for them.
“We’ve used our significant
experience in monopile installation and offshore handling to suit the specific
requirements of this project. We are now working closely with Seajacks to
deliver the project On Spec, to Budget and In Time.”
Seajacks’ Engineering
Superintendent, Andrew Garrod, adds: “We are pleased to be building on our
existing relationship with an innovative UK based supplier to develop a key
piece of equipment to support our installation activities.”
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