Kongsberg signs up MacGregor to enhance wind installation pile gripping system
Illustration of the wind fourndation installation vessel, Alfa Lift (Source: Kongsberg)
Kongsberg Maritime has signed a contract with MacGregor to supply key components for the Pile Gripper Guidance System (PGGS) on board the world’s largest offshore wind foundation installation vessel, Alfa Lift, currently under construction in China. MacGregor is to provide a motion-compensated pile gripper frame.
The vessel, designed by Ulstein Design Solutions, is being built at China Merchants Heavy Industry Shipyard for Norway’s Offshore Heavy Transport AS (OHT) and is due for delivery next year. With a 3,000-tonne crane and 10,000m2 of smart deck which can be submerged to a depth of 14.66m, the vessel will be capable of transporting up to 14 extra-large monopiles simultaneously.
The integrated monopile installation arrangement, which incorporates Kongsberg’s latest automated handling systems, avoids the requirement for temporary mooring procedures during installation, thereby improving safety, and saving time and money for OHT.
The PGGS will be integrated with the many other Kongsberg systems on board. These include dynamic positioning with dual-redundancy integrated with marine automation and thruster control systems, as well as an integrated navigation system, the main switchboard, generator, drives, tunnel and azimuth thrusters.
“The order secures KM’s role as a leading technology provider for heavy offshore vessels,” said Birger Evensen, Kongsberg Maritime’s Sales Director Offshore. “Working closely with MacGregor, we have developed an innovative solution that improves the efficiency of foundation installation vessels by replacing lengthy, temporary mooring processes with full dynamic positioning, in combination with an integrated guidance system and hydraulic frame mechanism.
