Ihc Hydrohammer News

Royal IHC (IHC) has integrated four of its business units – IHC Hydrohammer, IHC Handling Systems, IHC Sea Steel and IHC Fundex Equipment – into one new organization, which will operate under the name IHC IQIP. IHC said the merger aims to offer a fully integrated solution for on- and offshore installation, foundation and decommissioning to customers in the oil and gas, offshore wind and coastal and civil markets. “Many of our customers are already working with one or more of the four IHC business units now integrated under the IHC IQIP umbrella.

Mammoet announced today that Westermeerwind BV has reached financial close on July 25 for the turnkey construction of the Westermeerwind wind farm in Ijsselmeer, meaning work can now start on building the 48 wind turbines. The Westermeerwind wind farm consists of 48 wind turbines with a capacity of 3 MW to be installed in the water between 500-1,100 meters from the dikes of the Noordoostpolder. The client for the wind farm is Westermeerwind BV, which was founded to develop Westermeerwind at one of the windiest, and accordingly the most energy-efficient, locations in the Netherlands. Installation work is scheduled to start in March 2015. The first turbines are expected to start delivering power to the existing grid at the end of 2015.

IHC Hydrohammer, part of IHC Merwede has developed and tested a new technology which uses seawater instead of hydraulic oil. This sustainable product development minimises potential oil spill hazards in the marine environment and presents new opportunities for deep-water offshore pile driving that will be beneficial to the future growth of offshore construction. The S-90W IHC Waterhammer has been utilised in conjunction with Swiber Offshore Construction. The installation contractor used the advanced pile-driving hammer to install four foundation piles on the subsea PLEM (pipeline end manifold) located approximately 210km off the west coast of Mumbai, India.

IHC Hydrohammer, part of IHC Merwede, successfully used seawater instead of oil as a drive mechanism for the offshore installation industry. The company has developed and tested IHC Waterhammer technology to prepare it for launch to the market. This sustainable product development minimises potential oil spill hazards in the marine environment and presents new opportunities for deep-water offshore pile driving that will be beneficial to the future growth of offshore construction. The S-90W IHC Waterhammer has been utilised in conjunction with Swiber Offshore Construction.

IHC Handling Systems, part of IHC Merwede, has delivered a pile guiding tool for the installation of 80 wind turbine foundations at sea. This innovative tool was designed and constructed by IHC Handling Systems, and then installed on board Seajacks’ new jack-up vessel, ZARATAN, in autumn 2012. The company was awarded the contract on the strength of its vast expertise and experience in the offshore market. The pile guiding tool is part of an extensive package of advanced handling and lifting equipment that was supplied by IHC Handling Systems.

IHC Hydrohammer, part of IHC Merwede, has been awarded a contract by Seaway Heavy Lifting to design and manufacture the S-2500 piling hammer, which is the largest ever built by the company. IHC Hydrohammer is delighted to be chosen as the supplier of this equipment and the order highlights the strong and reliable cooperation that has developed between the two companies over more than 20 years. The order also includes a 6,500mm guide sleeve and other equipment needed for offshore operations in both the oil and gas and offshore wind markets.

IHC Merwede opened a new yard facility in Broussard, La. The yard at 206 Cummings Road will operate under the name of Hydro-Ram, Inc. With this expansion IHC Merwede now has a regional office in North America. Hydro-Ram, Inc., consisting of IHC Hydrohammer, IHC Handling Systems and IHC Fundex Equipment - all business units within the IHC Merwede group - will be the main distributor covering the North American piling markets for the oil and gas, offshore wind, construction and coastal and civil industries. The new site’s facilities include storage for a large rental fleet, maintenance operation and the main strategic spare parts hub for all of IHC Merwede’s pile installation equipment.

IHC Merwede will exhibit a broad range of its innovative vessels, advanced equipment and lifecycle support activities at stand number 2625 at the forthcoming Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2012, which runs from April 30 to May 3 in Houston. As a supplier of custom-built vessels and equipment for the offshore market, IHC Merwede is renowned for focusing on the development of integrated solutions, as highlighted by its position as “the technology innovator.”  To underline this position a model will be shown of the two identical new 550-tonne pipelaying vessels IHC Merwede is building for SapuraCrest. IHC Engineering Business and IHC Drives & Automation are supplying and engineering the critical mission equipment for these vessels.

IHC Offshore Systems provides world’s biggest Noise Mitigation System to protect sea life. IHC Offshore Systems, part of IHC Merwede, is proud to announce it has been awarded a rental contract for the Noise Mitigation System NMS-6900. Dutch offshore contractor Seaway Heavy Lifting will operate the NMS-6900 during the installation of 30 monopile foundations for the Riffgat offshore wind farm off the north-west coast of Germany. Managing Director of IHC Offshore Systems. The NMS-6900 is a useful addition to the large existing rental fleet of IHC Merwede’s Hydrohammers®…

IHC Merwede has entered the international rental market with its standard IHC Beaver dredgers and DMC work boats. The company has identified a demand in the market for vessels and equipment that may only be used for a relatively short period of time. In August, the first dredger – an IHC Beaver® 40 – was rented out to a contractor in Europe. The dredger was easily loaded on to trucks and transported to the dredging site, where it was quickly deployed by a team of IHC Merwede engineers. This vessel will be used for the deepening of a river in order to increase its capacity.