Dieseko Group introduces OPUS, a new Offshore Pile Upending System developed to reduce reliance on scarce and costly installation vessels. The patented concept combines the storage, transport, upending and vibro-installation of foundation piles into a single integrated process.
This enables large-scale offshore foundation projects to be carried out from more widely available construction support vessels. According to Dieseko’s calculations, this can save up to 85 per cent in vessel deployment costs for large-scale offshore foundation projects.
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Easier and cheaper
In the offshore sector, developers and contractors are under increasing pressure to deliver projects more quickly and with greater predictability, whilst costs continue to rise. This challenge is particularly acute in offshore wind farms, offshore energy projects and decommissioning projects, where dozens or even hundreds of similar piles often need to be installed or removed.
By combining installation and removal within a single process, Dieseko aims to make both new offshore developments and end-of-life projects easier and cheaper with OPUS.
Growing pressure on availability of installation vessels
Offshore contractors are increasingly competing for a limited number of specialised installation vessels. As a result, the daily rates for these vessels typically range between EUR 130,000-215,000, whilst rates in tight markets can rise to EUR 450,000 per day.
According to Dieseko, many projects involving the installation of large numbers of foundation piles are still based on installation methods originally developed for heavy-lift operations using crane vessels. This creates a dependency on specialised vessels that is not always necessary for the type of piles being installed or removed from the seabed.
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Designed for large numbers of foundation piles
OPUS has been developed for projects involving large numbers of foundation piles. The concept combines transport, storage, upending and installation into a single integrated process that can be carried out using more widely available vessel classes, such as platform supply vessels (PSVs) and anchor handling tug supply vessels (AHTSs).
According to the company’s calculations, a project involving 120 to 200 foundation piles can thus save thirteen to sixteen offshore working days and reduce vessel deployment costs by EUR 5-6 million.
Partner needed to validate solution
Floating offshore wind farms, offshore solar farms and the decommissioning of offshore structures reaching the end of their service life will further increase demand for efficient offshore installation and decommissioning systems in the coming years.
‘Offshore developers and operators are under increasing pressure to deliver projects faster, with greater predictability and with less reliance on scarce installation vessels,’ says Marco Wiedijk, Director Offshore at Dieseko Group. ‘We see opportunities to take a different approach to the way repetitive foundation projects are carried out, whether it concerns offshore wind, offshore energy or decommissioning. OPUS has been developed for precisely these applications. That is why we are actively seeking a partner who wants to validate the concept in practice and develop it further together with us.’
Picture: Dieseko’s OPUS allows transport, storage, upending and installation to be carried out using more widely available vessel types (image by Dieseko).
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