Stornes is a flexible fallpipe vessel that accurately installs rocks on the seabed at great depths. Using a flexible pipe, stones are placed with high accuracy in order to protect and stabilize offshore constructions such as pipelines, cables and offshore platforms. Van Oord desired to install rocks at great depth, no matter the circumstances. Therefore Bakker Sliedrecht was ordered to perform an electrical conversion of the fallpipe installation.
Bakker Sliedrecht designed the electrical part of the new fallpipe installation. In addition, a new module was designed by Van Oord that eases the production by supporting the fallpipe halfway. This module is launched by two large winches. Bakker Sliedrecht took care of the automation of the winches, including the regulators of the electric motors that power the winches.
The 1.300 meter fallpipe on board the Stornes consists of linked bottomless buckets, in which the rockets are transported to the seabed. The launching process and al movements of the buckets are controlled by Bakker Sliedrecht using a SCADA system that can be operated in the control room. A remote operated vehicle (ROV) was attached to the end of the fallpipe. The operators control the ROV is remotely, which enables them to accurately install the rocks.
Bakker Sliedrecht has successfully commissioned all hard- and software of the new fallpipe installation and completed the conversion project to full satisfaction of Van Oord.