SAL Wraps Up Wikinger Pile Testing Gig

SAL Heavy Lift successfully completed the second phase of the Wikinger Pile Testing Campaign with DP II Class vessel MV Lone for its customer Bilfinger. 

The full test campaign comprised two phases with the tests being performed at three locations.

During the first phase in November 2014 three sets of three piles each were driven at designated locations to required depths.

The second phase was to undertake restrike and pull out tests on selected piles with-in the three locations. The results of the test have to be analysed with a view to optimize the pile de-sign for the foundations of the planned wind farm considering the given soil conditions. The second phase was finally completed in early January 2015 with completion of the final demobilization of the vessel.

Located 30 km off the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea and covering an area of 34 km², the Wikinger offshore wind farm project will consist of 70 wind turbines with a total capacity of up to 350 MW. The Spanish energy company Iberdrola is developing the project, scheduled to begin operations in 2017.