KENC Engineering has announced that – using its purpose-built Flange Monopile Upending Tool (FMUT) – Van Oord has installed the first monopile foundation at an offshore wind farm in the UK. In the coming months, Van Oord will install a total of 100 monopile foundations at this North Sea location.

KENC Engineering was contracted in Q1 2023 by Van Oord to design and build the FMUT. The most significant design parameter of the FMUT was to enable efficient upending and lifting of monopiles. Strength was another factor: KENC’s FMUT can handle monopiles weighing up to 1,600 tonnes.

Vincent Vinkoert, business development manager at KENC Engineering

“We are genuinely proud to see our FMUT in action for Van Oord,” says Vincent Vinkoert, business development manager at KENC Engineering. “The collaborative process with Van Oord during the design, engineering, fabrication, testing and commissioning of this crucial monopile installation tool was very positive for us. Now it’s operating smoothly and soundly, we are proud to underline our position as turnkey supplier of monopile lifting and handling tools.”