F.lli Righini Srl has successfully completed a major project awarded in 2022 by Heerema Marine Contractors. The scope of work for the Italian supplier included engineering, fabrication, and testing of highly innovative tools: a Monopile Lifting and Upending Tool and a Monopile Tip Lifting Tool.
The Monopile Lifting and Upending Tool boasts several special features, making it the first of its kind currently on the market with a patent pending. Its main feature is an interchangeable system designed to lift and upend both flanged and unflanged monopiles, facilitated by a special system positioned underneath the main frame of the tool. Additionally, it includes a rotation system for turning the monopile itself and is engineered and built to accommodate various diameters, with the capability to handle piles up to 8.5 meters in diameter and weighing up to 2000 tonnes. The Monopile Tip Lifting Tool can also accommodate various pile diameters, with a maximum bottom diameter of up to 10 meters. The final stage of the project presented particular challenges, as it involved full-scale load and functional tests of both tools to simulate operating conditions. This required the development of special test benches engineered and built specifically for this application. The Monopile Lifting and Upending Tool underwent load testing and certification at 3600 tonnes, while the Monopile Tip Lifting Tool was certified at 1850 tonnes.