Wagenborg has transported a so-called Pile Gripper Tool from Middelburg to Esbjerg where it was fitted on a wind turbine installation ship, Pacific Orca.
The manufacture and transportation of the Pile Gripper Tool, including a hydraulic HSD-frame, took around three months.
After driving the Pile Gripper out of the construction hall, Wagenborg placed the Pile Gripper upon prepositioned construction beams, with a 400 and 250 tons mobile crane. One week later, the complete construction has been loaded with a 700 and 500 tons crane upon Wagenborg’s mv Westborg, a 3.600 tons Icerunner from the Wagenborg fleet. After sea fastening, the Pile Gripper could start her journey to Denmark, where she is installed upon the Pacific Orca.
The Pile Gripper Tool is developed as an instrument to keep monopiles for wind turbines in the correct position during placement in the sea. The Pile Gripper has a total weigh of 200 tons. It is 14 meters wide and 32 meter long.