General – Geotechnical Institute
NGI – Norwegian Geotechnical Institute has taken ownership of a full-scale, instrumented suction bucket that can document the installation process in real time, reducing risk in planning offshore wind projects in challenging seabed conditions.
“We can now measure what we previously only calculated. We obtain continuous data on pore pressure, penetration, and stresses in the steel as the bucket is sucked into the seabed. These results will advance the state of knowledge in offshore geotechnics,” says Egil Solhjell, Senior Specialist in field testing and offshore instrumentation at NGI.
The bucket was initially built as a verification tool for a site in Massachusetts. After the project changes, it was left unused. NGI took it over in the summer of 2025.
Full-scale tests in real soil types can determine whether a planned project can proceed.
“With this bucket, we can test how easily the equipment can be installed in everything from fine-grained sediments to problematic layers containing glauconite,” Solhjell explains.
“If you can document that the foundation can be installed, you can save time and large sums of money. That’s where this bucket can make a real difference.”
The bucket is located at Randaberg near Stavanger.
