A quieter, faster and simpler way to install and remove offshore wind foundations.
Vibrojet® FD - method comparable to the successfully installed monopiles at the Hollandse Kust West Windfarm of Ecowende. The fixed steel pipes are replaced with flexible hoses in the monopile.
Vibrojet® FLEX substantially lowers installation costs compared to impact hammer installations.
Offshore wind is built to protect our future. But the way foundations are currently installed requires too much time and expensive, non-scalable noise mitigation solutions. We believe offshore wind must grow faster, at lower cost and without harming marine life. GBM Works uses controlled water jetting to reduce friction in the seabed. This results in foundations reaching the target depth without noise. Water is already there. Gravity is already there. Our role is simply to guide the process.
Offshore wind is scaling fast. Installation of foundations is struggling to keep up. Lower Levelised Cost Of Energy requires smarter designs, installation and removal methods.
Installing foundations with impact hammers takes hours and requires expensive noise mitigation measures.
Impact hammering without water jetting creates intense underwater noise that increasingly conflicts with marine life.
Bigger turbines. Stricter rules. Limited equipment. New installation and decommissioning methods are needed.
Rely on force, produce noise and are difficult to scale as turbines grow.
Use of the vibro hammer wil not reach target depth in all situations. The use of the impact hammer is often required to complete the installation.
Using impact hammer requires monopiles to be stronger by using more steel which results in substantially more carbon emissions.
How we install foundations by reducing friction instead of increasing force.
GBM Works uses controlled water jetting to guide monopiles to the target depth. Less resistance means less energy, less noise and faster installation. Instead of increasing force, we reduce friction. Better for the environment and better for the structural integrity of the foundation.
Our installation method is more than three times faster, friendly to marine life and does not require complex noise mitigation.
The result is a method that is easier to permit, provides schedule advantages and more control in operations.
Through the Silent Installation of MonoPiLEs (SIMPLE®) Program, GBM Works has validated its technology in the lab, field and offshore. 7 Joint Industry Projects with over 20 partners demonstrate strong early industry support, alongside close collaboration with leading institutes such as Deltares, TNO, and TU Delft. The Vibrojet® technology has successfully completed the DNV Technology Qualification, confirming its readiness for commercial deployment.
The company has delivered over €20 million in development projects with major industry partners and is member of GROW Offshore, WindEurope and Nedzero. Trust offshore was earned by doing and repeated installations at Hollandse Kust West. GBM Works Vibrojet® solution obtained technology qualification by DNV.
GBM Works successfully demonstrated its jetting technology under real offshore conditions at the Hollandse Kust West project by installing three full-scale monopiles. The Fixed Vibrojet® Solution was commercially deployed for Ecowende and was developed over three years within the SIMPLE Program, setting a new benchmark for efficient, low-noise monopile installation. Building on this foundation, GBM Works now advances into the SIMPLECS Program, a Joint Industry Project focused on reliable and quiet installation in stiff clay and very dense sand. These developments position GBM Works at the forefront of efficient, scalable, low-noise monopile installation technology, helping to reduce the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) for developers.
The SIMPLE III project tested the Vibrojet® technology in a large-scale offshore environment. The data generated during the project, including drivability and noise measurements, took GBM’s silent installation method to Technology Readiness Level 7 and provides the outstanding information to complete the Technology Qualification process of the technology. The SIMPLE III project was a joint industry project.
We participated in the SIMOX project, which is a GROW project. The main focus was finding a technology that is capable of reducing noise that can be detrimental to fauna, but also looking into technologies which could be capable of decommissioning Monopiles at the end of their lifetime. The main reason for us to join the SIMOX project is to compare the Vibrojet® technology with other technologies such as the Vibratory hammer, Gentle Driving of Piles concept, Blue Piling and the impact hammer on pile driving and bearing capacity. Thereby our focus for the SIMOX design is on a well-defined Monopile Integration System design, a design which is welded into the inside of the monopile. Which we also used in the SIMPLE III project. https://grow-offshorewind.nl/project/simox
In the SIMPLER project we developed the retractable Vibrojet® tool. Which is used in the SIMPLE II project and is our wished end goal for the Vibrojet® technology. The main reason we want to design a retractable tool is because this is a more sustainable way than the Monopile Integration System, which sacrifices a substantial amount of steel.
GBM Works is looking for more industry partners in the SIMPLE program. Join the SIMPLECS Offshore project.
Quiet, simple and fast installation and removal is no longer optional. GBM Works offers a practical path forward: lower cost, lower noise and lower risk. This is how offshore wind keeps moving forward.
Founded in 2016, GBM Works is a Dutch offshore technology company developing innovative installation solutions for offshore wind foundations. With our patented jetting technology, we aim to make offshore wind installation quieter, more efficient and more sustainable for the next generation of wind farms.
Every decision we make is guided first by the safety and wellbeing of our people.
We create responsibly, with long-term impact in mind.
We turn smart ideas into practical reliable solutions.
We set up, adapt, challenge ideas and back each other to get things done.
We take responsibility, follow through and stand behind our work.
Thank you!
