The pile Gripper Arms, installed this week, stabilize 6m diameter 650t steel piles as they are driven into the seabed by the MPI Discovery installation jack up vessel. Installed on the vessel’s stern below deck level, they provide resistance to wave, tide and current forces in water depths of up to 40m. Their position and the additional control this provides significantly reduces installation times providing a valuable enhancement to the Discovery’s capability, Houlder said. “The challenge of handling offshore wind turbine piles has grown along with their size.” commented Frederic Perdrix…