The BLUE 25M Hammer
In recent years the offshore wind industry has gained an increased awareness of the detrimental effects of underwater noise caused by pile driving. This has resulted in the need for noise mitigation measures and legislation to reduce the negative effects of foundation installation. All across Europe this legislation is getting stricter. In Germany, where the legislation is strictest, up to 40 million euros are spent per wind farm to reduce the effects of underwater noise. Fistuca BV is currently building a hammer, the BLUE 25M, that can compete with the largest hydraulic hammers in the industry, which tackles the noise issue at the source.
By Jasper Winkes, Fistuca BV, The Netherlands
Fistuca started as a spin-off from the Eindhoven University of Technology. Development of BLUE Piling Technology started in 2011. Since 2015 Huisman Equipment, a renowned equipment supplier for the offshore industry, has invested in Fistuca. In 2016 the construction of the largest hammer in the world started.
