General – Marine Wildlife
Can the installation of foundations for wind turbines be more efficient, quieter, and therefore less harmful to marine wildlife? Yes, this can be done with suction caisson jacket foundations.
In January, Dimitris Kaltsas (on behalf of Rotterdam-based Offshore Independents) spent five weeks continuously on board the crane vessel Saipem 7000. There he was the geotechnical client representative, responsible for monitoring this sustainable suction operation.
Now an even longer similar campaign awaits him, namely until the end of the year. He will be working on rotation on board the same vessel for the Seagreen wind farm foundation installation.
On the Saipem 7000 Dimitris will be on-call 24 hours a day to monitor the suction operation. During the installation of the jacket, he will monitor the (ground) conditions by means of software and decide what measures must be taken if the suction buckets do not penetrate the soil sufficiently.
Because there is limited experience within the offshore wind industry with suction-installed foundations, Dimitris is glad to contribute to the installation of suction bucket foundations by delivering expertise and therefore continue gaining valuable experience.
