For the installation of offshore wind farms in the Irish Sea, Mammoet Van Oord, an international marine contractor, selected heavy lifting slings made with super-strong Dyneema polyethylene fiber from DSM Dyneema.
The special round slings, manufactured by the Unitex Group, are designed to lift heavy loads weighing up to several hundreds of tons. Mammoet Van Oord is using the Unitex lifting slings with its new jack-up installation barge, the “Jumping Jack,” to place 240 ton monopiles as part of the foundations required for the installation of wind turbines in the Burbo offshore wind farm project located off the coast of Liverpool, United Kingdom. While abrasive steel wire can scratch coatings that provide important corrosion resistance to the monopiles, slings made from Dyneema help prevent damage to these valuable components. Finally, the new slings deliver lifting performance that is equivalent to that of steel-wire equipment. Unlike synthetics such as nylon or polyester, Dyneema fiber exhibits minimal stretch. This leads to improved load handling which is a major benefit to crane operators.
