New Subsea Piledriver Uses Seawater

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. The Ø 1.1m piles were successfully driven into the seabed to highlight that both the S-90W and S-500W IHC Waterhammers are now ready to be used in the offshore oil and gas industry.

HC Hydrohammer Managing Director Jan Albert Westerbeek said, “This successful test is a milestone in the development of offshore pile driving. IHC Hydrohammer has formed an excellent partnership with Swiber on this and other projects, as both companies share a proactive approach towards innovation. This latest development shows the power of cooperation between the two parties, which have been able to take the lead in product development and set the benchmark for the whole sector.”