Abstract: A crane with a tagline system, for example for use in the handling of one or more wind turbine components, e.g. handling of a rotor blade. The crane comprises a boom with a boom leg embodied as a latticed hollow box structure. At least one of the front main chords of the boom leg is formed from four steel planar plate members that are welded to one another in a rectangular or square cross-sectional arrangement. The front plate member extends from a corner joint with the outer plate member inward beyond the joint to the inner plate member to form an inwardly protruding guide rail portion. The outer plate member extends from the corner joint with the front plate member rearward beyond the joint to the rear plate member to form a rearwardly protruding guide rail portion. The tagline trolley is provided with rollers engaging the inwardly protruding guide rail portion and with roller engaging the rearwardly protruding guide rail portion.

Abstract: A marine slewing pedestal crane includes a boom provided with a jib having a jib-arm. The jib includes a jib base pivotally connected to a jib-axle to allow a pivotal movement of the jib with respect to the boom. The crane includes a jib positioning assembly adapted to position the jib arm and to actuate the movement of the jib arm. The jib arm positioning assembly includes a jib arm control system, including one or more sensors for monitoring a load connected to a load suspension device of a hoisting assembly of the crane, and/or a potential load, and/or a supply vessel supporting a potential load, and/or crane information. Based on the information, the jib arm control system actuates one or more cylinders to pivot the jib arm relative to the jib base.

Abstract: A pile driving method for driving a hollow tubular pile having a vertical centreline, a top end and an open foot end vertically into the soil, e.g. into the seabed, e.g. a large diameter pile having an outer diameter at the open foot end of at least 5 meters, e.g. a monopile of an offshore wind turbine, wherein use is made of a pile driving system, wherein the system includes at least one hammer device and a torsional vibration drive.

Abstract: A method for pile installation wherein use is made of a vessel for pile installation. A pile holding system is mounted to the hull of a vessel, e.g. on deck (2) of a vessel, which pile holding system is configured to hold the pile in an upright orientation at a pile installation location at least whilst suspended from a crane by means of one or more winch driven cables, e.g. for installation of a pile adapted to support an offshore wind turbine, the pile holding system comprises a pile holding tool (40).

Abstract: A slew bearing for rotatably supporting an object on a base about a slew axis. The slew bearing includes a stationary ring and a rotary ring part. The stationary ring part is provided with a stationary raceway member forming a stationary raceway surface oriented substantially perpendicular to the slew axis. The rotary ring part is provided with a rotary raceway member forming a rotary raceway surface. Rolling elements are provided between the stationary raceway surface and the rotary raceway surface. The slew bearing further includes an elastically compressible resilient insert sandwiched either between the rotary raceway member and the rotary ring part or between the stationary ring part and the stationary raceway member. The slew bearing further includes an axial load sensor for monitoring an axial load on the slew bearing by measuring a distance over the resilient insert.

Abstract: An assembly for supporting an object on a rail comprises a load bearing housing and an endless chain of steel cylindrical rollers arranged for recirculating along a closed path. The assembly comprises an elastically compressible resilient insert which is sandwiched between a steel central body and a steel raceway member above a work portion of the path, so that the central body is resiliently supported on an operative set of the cylindrical rollers via the insert and the steel raceway member.

Abstract: A crane for use on an offshore vessel is provided with a boom restrainer, wherein the boom restrainer is a hydro-pneumatic boom restrainer, for reducing upward pivoting of the boom, when the boom is in the top zone, wherein the boom restrainer includes: multiple hydraulic cylinders, each having a hydraulic circuit and a cylinder rod with a cylinder head, wherein the cylinders are mounted on the crane structure with the cylinder heads directed towards the boom of the crane, preferably are mounted on a stay of the crane structure, a catcher for each hydraulic cylinder, wherein each catcher is mounted on the boom and is configured for receiving the cylinder head of the corresponding hydraulic cylinder, and to lock the cylinder head, preferably pivotable locks the cylinder head, relative to the boom, when the boom pivots upwards in the top zone; a gas buffer for each hydraulic cylinder, wherein each gas buffer is mounted to the corresponding hydraulic cylinder, and is connected to the hydraulic circuit of the cor

Abstract: The invention relates to a crane for assembly and installation of offshore wind turbines on an offshore location, to a vessel for assembly and installation of offshore wind turbines on an offshore location, and to a method for assembly and installation of offshore wind turbines on an offshore location. According to the invention the crane is provided with a base section and a top section, wherein the top section is rotatable supported by a bearing, and can be rotated with the wind turbine hoisting device relative to the base section about a vertical axis, wherein a first trolley guide is mounted to a top section of the installation crane for giding a vertically mobile wind turbine supporting trolley. According to the invention the vessel is provided with one or more assembly stations on different sides of the installation crane.

Abstract: For installing a blade on a horizontal axis rotational hub of an offshore wind turbine, use is made of a blade installation device that is temporarily installed on the offshore wind turbine. A mounting part is mounted on the foundation of the offshore wind turbine and/or on a lower portion of the wind turbine mast. A crane mast is erected vertically and is supported by the mounting part. The crane mast has a track. A blade manipulator assembly includes a trolley moving over the track and one or more blade root engagement members that engage a root end of the blade. The blade installation device includes a hoist system with a crane boom that is mounted to a top end of the crane mast, a winch, and a winch driven cable. In the method, the trolley is brought in a lower position thereof and the blade root engagement members engage on the root end of the blade that is in the lower receiving position thereof.

Abstract: A crane housing for a leg encircling crane to be mounted onto a slew bearing includes an annular base component, two support components, and a frontal component, each having bulkheads. The support components are connected to the annular base component at respective lateral sides of a front segment thereof. The frontal component is connected to the front segment of the annular base component, between the two support components such as to interconnect these. The two support components and the frontal component together form a front torsion box, which provides torsional rigidity. The load of the boom, as applied on the support components, subjects the base component via the torsion box to a torsion that is distributed over the front segment of the base component.

Abstract: A vessel for use in installation of a wind turbine on a floating foundation is provided, where both the vessel and the floating foundation are in floating condition and subject to sea-state induced motions. The vessel includes a floating hull; a crane including a hoisting system to suspend the wind turbine; a mast alignment system provided to engage on the wind turbine mast of the suspended wind turbine, and bring and maintain the wind turbine mast in alignment with the mounting axis of the floating foundation in order to compensate for sea-state induced motions; and a restraining system arranged to restrain the floating foundation only in a horizontal plane relative to the floating hull of the vessel and to allow for both sea-state induced heave motion and sea-state induced tilt motions in one or more vertical planes of the mast mounting structure relative to the hull of the vessel.

Abstract: An offshore wind turbine foundation monopile in a seabed, the monopile having a foot end, a top end, and a longitudinal axis, by revolving the monopile about the longitudinal axis, such that the monopile makes multiple revolutions while being driven into the seabed.

Abstract: A dual hoist crane is provided with a heave compensation system that can be used for both the main and for the auxiliary hoisting assembly. The heave compensation system includes a first set of sheaves for guiding the main hoisting cable and a second set of sheaves for guiding the auxiliary hoisting cable. The heave compensation system is configured to individually lock the first set of sheaves and the second set of sheaves to a heave compensation cylinder, for respectively providing the main hoisting assembly and the auxiliary hoisting assembly with heave compensation.

Abstract: A riser section includes two filament-reinforced tubulars and a coupling sleeve for connecting the two filament-reinforced tubulars. The coupling sleeve includes a screw thread at opposite ends for cooperating with a screw thread provided on sections of the filament-reinforced tubulars. The riser section includes two torque locks, wherein the torque locks are each mounted on one of the filament-reinforced tubulars, and are on opposite ends of the coupling sleeve. The torque locks are provided with coupling teeth extending in an axial direction. The coupling sleeve is at opposite ends provided with coupling teeth extending in the axial direction.

Abstract: A pile driving method for driving a hollow tubular pile having a vertical centreline, a top end and an open foot end vertically into the soil, e.g. into the seabed, e.g. a large diameter pile having an outer diameter at the open foot end of at least 5 meters, e.g. a monopile of an offshore wind turbine, wherein use is made of a pile driving system, wherein the system includes at least one hammer device and a torsional vibration drive.

Abstract: A mobile land rig is adapted to perform drilling and/or wellbore related activities. The mobile land rig includes a drilling tower, a loader and a top drive system including a pivotal top drive unit. The top drive system is provided with an actuator assembly adapted to cause the pivot motion of the top drive unit.

Abstract: A marine knuckle boom crane includes a pedestal and a crane housing rotational relative to the pedestal. A knuckle boom assembly is attached to the crane housing and includes a main boom and a spreader type jib. A hoisting system includes a first departure sheave and a second departure sheave on the jib, and a third departure sheave mounted to the main boom or to the crane housing. One or more winches drive a first, second, and third cable which are each connected to an object suspension device and each pass via the first, second, and third departure sheave, respectively, to the respective winch. The first, the second, and the third cable together define an inverted pyramid which diverges upwards from the object suspension device when handling the object.

Abstract: In the installation of a rotor blade in horizontal orientation to the hub of a horizontal axis offshore wind turbine, use is made of a blade motion synchronization and positioning device, which comprises a wind turbine coupler, a blade coupler, a motion arm between the wind turbine coupler and the blade coupler, and a controllable motion arm actuator assembly. The method includes bringing and maintaining the blade coupler in a motion compensated receiving position, wherein the arm is operated to compensate for sea state and/or wind induced tower top motion. In receiving position, the coupler is coupled to the blade that is suspended from a crane. The actuator assembly is then operated to gradually bring, and then maintain, the coupled blade in a horizontal motion that is synchronized with tower top motion, and to displace the coupled blade root into a pre-mounting position.

Abstract: In an installation of a wind turbine on a floating foundation in floating condition and subject to sea-state induced motions, e.g. at the site of an offshore windfarm, use is made of a vessel with a crane arranged on the hull and provided with a hoisting system adapted to support the weight of the wind turbine and suspend the wind turbine from the crane. A heave compensation device compensates for sea-state induced heave motion of the wind turbine mast relative to the mast mounting structure of the floating foundation. Use is made of a mast alignment system configured to engage on the suspended wind turbine, e.g. on the mast of the suspended wind turbine, and to bring and maintain the mast of the wind turbine in alignment with the mounting axis of the floating foundation in order to compensate for sea-state induced motions, at least including tilt motions in one or more vertical planes, of the wind turbine mast relative to the mounting axis of the floating foundation.

Abstract: A feeder vessel for the onshore-to-offshore transport of elongate wind turbine objects with a motion compensating carrier assembly having a motion compensated platform for receiving and retaining the elongate object, and a motion compensation mechanism. The motion compensation mechanism includes extendable actuators which passively compensate motions of the platform out of a neutral position, and winches driving carrier cables such that traction by the respective carrier winch counteracts an extension of at least one of the carrier actuators. The winches are embodied as active motion compensation winches to compensate movements of the platform.