Dundee University engineers hope to silence offshore construction

Description

Members of the Geotechnical Engineering group, have been assisting Heerema Marine Contractors in developing alternative means of installing foundations for offshore wind turbines.

The group has extensively tested and modelled concepts that would remove the need for loud underwater hammering, which can be harmful to marine life and require costly mitigation systems, often with a significant CO2 footprint.

The so-called “silent foundations” concepts have now received Statements of Feasibility from DNV GL, a global quality assurance firm. This is the first formal step to adopting them for offshore structure installations.