Driven by innovation, sustainability and the high potential of the market, Huisman has become shareholder in Fistuca BV as per May 2015. Fistuca BV is developing a revolutionary new pile driving technology, BLUE Piling Technology. The technique will, compared to conventional piling, allow silent installation of large piles offshore. BLUE Piling Technology is therefore expected to significantly reduce the foundation installation costs for offshore wind turbines, by saving on costs for noise reducing measures. Huisman uses here in-depth knowledge of the offshore industry, and broad expertise on offshore equipment to support Fistuca in the development of this new technology, for the Offshore Wind Industry as well as the Oil & Gas Industry and large civil constructions.
The BLUE Piling Technology uses a large water column to drive a pile in the soil whereas conventional hammers use a steel ram. 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.
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. Expensive noise reducing equipment is no longer needed. The long blow duration minimizes the fatigue during installation. Therefore even very large concrete piles can be driven with the technology, due to the absence of tensile forces which are damaging for concrete piles. Great scalability will allow the largest piles in the world to be driven using BLUE Piling Technology.
