WaveWalker 1 Snags GE Award in London

The walking jack-up platform WaveWalker 1 received the Product and Equipment Innovation Award at the Ground Engineering (GE) Awards ceremony in London held on May 14.

WaveWalker 1, developed by Fugro and Van Oord, is an innovative, eight-legged ‘walking’ jack-up barge (self-elevating work platform – SEWP) designed especially for marine operations in rough seas, surf zones, beaches and other intertidal locations where operation of traditional SEWPs is uneconomic.

The GE Product and Equipment Innovation Award is awarded for a product or item of equipment aimed at the ground engineering or geotechnical market which has delivered improved performance or made a technique or idea possible.

Key criteria for choosing a potential winner are: innovative design, ability of product/equipment to fill a gap in the market; ability to deliver cost and performance benefits; and commercial potential for use on other projects/applications.

“We are delighted to have ticked all the boxes and to be presented with this prestigious award,” said Les Lugg, Commercial Director of Fugro Seacore. “We provided design and engineering expertise to create the jack-up barge which is owned and operated by WaveWalker BV, a joint venture between Fugro Seacore and Van Oord.”

This is the second award for this innovative walking jack-up barge; WaveWalker 1 was successful in November 2013 winning the British Engineering Excellence Award for Mechanical Product of the Year.

WaveWalker 1 is currently on location in the UK preparing for her next contract due to start in July 2014.

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May 26, 2014