Fugro has successfully completed a contract for the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) to perform a geotechnical site investigation at the IJmuiden Ver (Noord) V and VI wind farm sites as part of the geophysical survey package.

Working from a third-party vessel, Fugro deployed its new Blue Snake™ geotechnical system to conduct 25 co-located cone penetration tests (CPT), thermal cone penetration tests (T-CPT) and high performance corer (HPC) tests.

Michel Vrolijk, Consultant Offshore Wind Energy at RVO, said: “Supporting our partners to innovate is one of the ways to jointly improve our site characterisations for offshore wind. With the 21 GW planned on the Netherlands’ Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap 2030/31, offshore site investigations need to speed up as well. Therefore, RVO is pleased with the implementation of Fugro’s Blue Snake™, because of the ability to perform a vibrocore in combination with a CPT in a single deployment. The short fixed distance between the CPT and vibrocore will also allow for better correlation between data, this could improve data interpretation.”

The Fugro Blue Snake™ is an innovative system that integrates CPT and sampling technology, achieving enhanced data quality, safety and efficiency. The tests are taken consecutively, at a fixed distance, enabling high-quality data acquisition and improved data correlation. With the integrated testing approach and the significant reduction of manual and crane handling, productivity is improved whilst health and safety risks are reduced.

The IJmuiden Ver V and VI areas are in the northern part of the IJmuiden Ver wind farm zone and will be able to accommodate around 2 GW of offshore wind capacity, on top of the 4 GW of capacity already planned in the IJmuiden Ver zone.

Sven Plasman, Fugro’s Principal Commercial Manager, said: “Having the support and commitment from a client such as RVO is highly appreciated. Their willingness to trial our new innovative equipment, resulted in the successful delivery of Geo-data in a safe, sustainable and efficient manner. We look forward to its continued success with the Blue Snake™ earmarked for projects throughout Europe.”