Customer case

Flatholmen quay in Ålesund, Norway – build on LDP from SSAB

August 17, 2022 6 min read

Case details

Country Norway

Company NordWest Fundamentering AS

Industry Building structures and infrastructure

Ålesund is a large Norwegian harbor for cargo and cruise ships. The fishing industry is well-established in the area together with manufacturing of furniture. This may explain the 65,000 containers that move through the area each year, making it one of Norway’s largest container harbors. Two billion fishmeal is exported from this region worldwide each year. Ålesund is also located on the doorstep of picturesque Norwegian fjords and majestic mountains, providing easy access for cruise tourism.

Case details

Country Norway

Company NordWest Fundamentering AS

Industry Building structures and infrastructure

Junttan pmx28 on NordWest Fundamentering AS sea raft.

Flatholmen is a vital area, with more than MNOK 5,000 invested during the past 15 years. It is currently comprised of 330 m + 100 m + 130 m of quays and has the ability to provide ships with electrical power from shore that has a positive local and global environmental effect.

Vest Betong AS, based in Stavanger, signed a turnkey contract with the owner of the area and project - Ålesundregionen Havnevesen (Ålesund Port Authority). They are responsible for the application process and design, all ground foundation and concrete works, quay equipment and logistical systems for electrical and pipe installation. The contract is worth EUR 1.6 million with a two year time frame until November, 2023. The quay will be extended to 720 m with over 195 steel pipe piles, providing a new net area of 11,000 m².

NordWest Fundamentering AS was established as a company in 2018, but has experience in piling operations since 1996. They are currently operating two piling rigs and three drilling rigs. Their Junttan pmx28 is working on this project from a sea raft. This machine operates 5 to 9 ton hammer weights and can install pile lengths up to 28m. The rig has a telescopic guide, which ensures easy and fast handling of piles. With an average pile length of 25 m (to rock), this rig ensures ramming operation without splicing. Using a rig of this size has been advantageous, as the water depth can be up to 10 m and splicing would have been difficult.

The first shipment of RR800/14 and RR800/16 in S355J2H quality from SSAB was delivered to NordWest Fundamentering AS during the autumn 2021. The piles came in lengths of 12 - 15 meters and were equipped with standard rock shoes from SSAB with massive dowels. This design provides structural capacity over 12,600 kN. Splice welding on land before ramming made the process easier and much more time efficient.

RR800 pile and rock shoe from SSAB delivered in one piece to site.

Spirally welded RR800 piles in 15m lengths.

The piles are spirally welded and produced at the Oulainen tube mill with coil from Raahe steel plant. The tolerance requirement when dealing with large diameter piles are important to ensure easy splice welding. That’s why SSAB offers industry-leading values of tolerance and can also provide project-specific pile lengths to avoid splice welding at site.

NordWest Fundamentering AS is a good and long-standing LDP customer for SSAB. This provides good cooperation and successful delivery solutions for both parties. Delivery according to plan means stable installation and successful operation and is the key in all projects, according to John Olav Dybvik, manager for NordWest Fundamentering AS.