Fistuca’s BLUE PILING Technology draws major investment from the Huisman Group

Fistuca BV is developing a revolutionary new pile driving technology, BLUE Piling Technology. The technique will allow silent installation of large piles offshore. BLUE Piling Technology is therefore expected to significantly reduce the foundation installation costs for offshore wind turbines.

The technology uses a large water column to drive a pile in the soil whereas conventional hammers use a steel ram. A combustion throws up this water column and under force of gravity it falls back on the pile, hereby delivering two blows. This cycle is repeated until the pile reaches its desired depth.

Jasper Winkes, Director of Fistuca BV comments: “We are very pleased to welcome Huisman on board as a new shareholder. Huisman’s in-depth knowledge of the offshore industry, and their outstanding expertise on offshore equipment, promises a very positive collaboration with Fistuca. The investment from Huisman, combined with a large innovation credit by the Dutch government, will enable us to leap forward in our ambitious growth strategy.”

BLUE Piling Technology has various advantages over conventional impact hammers. The hammer produces very low noise levels compared to conventional hammers, resulting in very significant costs reduction of the installation of foundations for offshore wind turbines. The long blow duration minimizes the fatigue during installation, and even very large concrete piles can be driven with the technology, due to the absence of the detrimental tensile forces. Great scalability will allow the largest piles in the world to be driven using BLUE Piling Technology.

Joop Roodenburg, CEO of Huisman: “I see great potential for this technology, using our knowledge of the offshore industry, combined with the innovative drive of this young company will be the key to building a successful business. We see a large market in both the offshore wind industry as well as the oil & gas industry and large civil constructions.”