Greater Changhua Test Pile Project
MV Lone takes on her biggest offshore assignment yet
All for one and one for all
It took four vessels to mobilise one for this remarkable offshore project.
2019 marked a milestone year for SAL in offshore operations, with one of the greatest highlights being our involvement in a Taiwanese offshore test pile load project for a future wind farm. The project demanded not only our best engineering capabilities but also ingenuity and significant crane modification to meet the task.
SAL’s proven track record in offshore test piling for wind farms helped secure the Test Pile Project from Danish engineering and construction specialist Per Aarsleff A/S.
Completed over a three-month period in close collaboration with our client, the project allowed SAL to contribute its extensive expertise in complex piling frame installations. MV Lone served as the perfect installation base, thanks to her generous deck space and the newly fitted Fly-Jib.
Offshore Installation Scope
SAL was contracted to supply a DP2 installation vessel, the MV Lone, to perform pile installation and testing work as part of the project’s pre-piling phase. The campaign centred on testing seabed soil conditions at designated locations across the site. A total of six piles, each up to 80 metres in length, were driven into the seabed through a specially designed pile guide frame in water depths between 30 and 40 metres.
To realise this ambitious project, SAL carried out one of the largest vessel mobilisations in its history. To lift the long piles vertically, the team designed, manufactured, installed and tested an extension to one of the Lone’s cranes – the Fly-Jib – adding up to 23 metres of additional jib length.
The vessel was also outfitted with temporary living quarters (TLQs) and additional lifeboats to accommodate up to 100 personnel during operations.
To operate safely as an offshore installation vessel, MV Lone underwent recertification from a cargo vessel to a Special Purpose Ship (SPS).
Mobilisation and Execution
Mobilisation took place in Singapore during spring 2019, involving three additional SAL vessels supplying essential project equipment from Rotterdam, Shanghai, and Esbjerg to the MV Lone. In addition to the Fly-Jib and TLQs, the mobilisation included the pile guide frame and a special load beam, both designed and manufactured by Per Aarsleff A/S, alongside a range of piling-related tools, lifting and handling gear, the pile-driving spread, survey equipment and ROV systems. Before sailing to the project site, Lone also loaded the test piles from the local port.
The full test campaign consisted of two phases conducted at different sites. During the first phase, between May and July 2019, two test piles – each weighing up to 140 tonnes – were installed and instrumented through the pile guide frame. Following a standby period, the second phase continued in August 2019 and involved static and dynamic load testing on selected piles. These tests provided vital data to optimise the foundation design for the future wind farm.
At the end of the project, the installed piles were decommissioned using a special cutting tool, recovered to the deck of MV Lone, and transported back to shore for recycling.
