SAL Offshore: MV Lone, Pre-Piling Test for Wikinger Wind Farm (02:44 min)

SAL Heavy Lift succeeds in the offshore wind energy sector: German engineering and services group Bilfinger was awarded the test pile contract for the Wikinger offshore wind farm project on the Baltic Sea and chose SAL Heavy Lift as subcontractor to transport and install the test piles and equipment with their DP Class 2 vessel MV Lone. Test objectives are to confirm the design of the wind farm foundations and to check the performance of the piles against static, dynamic and cyclic loads specific for offshore structures. For this technical challenging project, MV Lone was set up with several project equipment and was fitted out with an accommodation unit for additional 75 people necessary for the project. The installation engineering, motion analysis, rigging and sea-fastening design have been performed by the SAL engineering departments in Delft and Hamburg. Offshore rigging and lifting operations were jointly undertaken by Bilfinger's and the vessel's crew. During the first phase, MV Lone served as an exceptional project platform with her 2000 m² of clear main deck and her two 1000 t SWL cranes. From the outset, piles, template, piling hammer and all associated equipment were carried altogether, resulting in a high degree of efficiency and minimizing port calls. Furthermore, as a DP Class II vessel, MV Lone can be made operational within a very short period of time: from arrival in the field, it typically takes less than two hours. On top, her operational speed of 20 knots further enhances the efficient services SAL offers to the client.