The following video shows an animation of an installation system for monopiles and transition pieces intended for construction of offshore wind farms.

The system takes the form of a floating barge and is developed by Conquest Offshore, together with deugro Denmark A/S and supported by the engineering knowledge and experience of Temporary Works Design (TWD) and Barge Master.

The 1400 mT Conquest MB1 barge is equipped with an accurate and fully automated anti-heeling system and has a free deck space of 3700m² for 9000 tons of cargo.

3 Monopiles, or up to 16 Transition Pieces, can be stored on a deck by the effective skidding system.

The specially designed motion compensated pile gripper (MCPG) is the key to success. While hammering the pile, hydraulic cylinders actively compensate the surge, sway and heave motions of the barge to ensure the verticality within limits. The gripper and the relative good workability of the Conquest MB1 barge with its anti-heeling system (8000 m3 per hour), creates an innovation in offshore wind industry.

World Maritime News Staff