In 2002, the Russian submarine The Kursk together with its crew of 108 sank after an explosion took place on board. The Dutch Mammoet company was requested to salvage the wreck. The salvage ship came into being as a result of converting the pontoon ship "Giant 4" to a hoisting ship with 26 hoist points. These hoist points, distributed over the pontoon, were connected to The Kursk under water, after which the hoisting operation could begin. However, the roughness of the Barents Sea and its waves made it necessary to install a compensation system in order to ensure an even distribution of the load over the hoisting points. PIPINGCARE succeeded in winning the order for these compensation systems and designed and built 26 containers fitted with equipment. An expert project team was put in place in a very short time for carrying out this order, and the engineering phase was begun very energetically. The entire project had to be implemented during the planned period of just three months, and the work was done in cooperation with various national and international companies. A total of 3760 nitrogen cylinders with a capacity of 50 L each were installed and connected. The 502 manifolds with valves, safety features etc. that were required were also included in the order. Over 6 km of pipes, varying in diameter from 12 to 65 mm with a maximum working pressure of 300 bar were prefabricated and installed in the containers.

The research ship Celtic Explorer is a hydrographic fisheries research vessel built for the Marine Institute of Ireland. The installation of the hydraulic system on board was outsourced to PIPINGCARE.

After careful preparation at our workshop in Veghel, the installation's parts and components were packaged in a seaworthy fashion and shipped to a shipbuilding yard in Galatz in Romania. After delivery of the materials, local mechanics - working under the supervision of two PIPINGCARE engineers on site - carried out 80% of the installation work. Final completion of the work took place at a Dutch shipbuilding yard. Since 2002, the Celtic Explorer has been operating around the clock to the full satisfaction of the owner and has been booked for 100%.

PIPINGCARE has installed various cooling systems in order to improve operational reliability and continuity in the steel industry. It has already become clear that, in addition to improved operational reliability, savings have also been realized in the area of maintenance.

Complete piping systems have been designed and installed for hydraulic cylinders. This involves special cylinders which are designed according to customer specifications for the application concerned, which means that the piping is also a custom-made solution. Inspection by certified institutions is often required in such cases.

The research and oil spill containment ship the Arca was built to order for the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management. It is a multifunctional vessel whose main tasks are the containment of oil spills and mapping out the sea bottom. The installation of the hydraulic system on board was outsourced to PIPINGCARE.

A striking feature of this order was the very short window of time available for supplying and installing the system. Excellent preparation was therefore critical. An additional challenge was the minimal space available in the various compartments. Practically all ship operations are hydraulically driven in this case. After installation of the hydraulic unit, cylinders, motors and other components, the installation of the hydraulic piping system was started.

PIPINGCARE installed over 5000 m of piping for this job. All the pipes were prefabricated, rinsed and pressure-tested in our own workshop in Veghel. The delivery specifications, the process input provided by PIPINGCARE and the quality requirements formulated by Buro Veritas combined with the experience of the PIPINGCARE employees involved all resulted in a very high-quality ship. Since 1998, the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management has been working with a unique, reliable and fault-free vessel enabling optimum service in national as well as international waters.

The Phileas is a futuristic public transport vehicle in use in Eindhoven since 2004. The Phileas combines the good characteristics of other transport vehicles, such as the tram and metro, in one vehicle. It is on time, comfortable and fast. Due to its special expertise, PIPINGCARE was involved in the development of this vehicle from the beginning. PIPINGCARE prefabricated the pipes and also supplied various hoses and couplings for the hydraulic control system used in the Phileas.

A new pumping station was needed to better deal with high water situations such as occurred at the end of 1998. PIPINGCARE has been responsible for a variety of bridges, pumping stations and locks for various Dutch government bodies. These projects involved either the renovation of existing facilities or new building projects. The Rozema pumping station in Termunterzijl, completed in 2000, is an example.

The offshore supply ship Toisa Polaris was fitted in 2000 with a heave compensation system in order to facilitate the transfer of supplies and the installation of components as well as to prevent damage. PIPINGCARE was responsible for installing the hydraulic system and the nitrogen system.

This bascule bridge, built in 1927 in the style of the Amsterdam School, was renovated in 1999 at the request of the public works department of Amsterdam. PIPINGCARE was responsible for the installation of various bridges and locks for various Dutch government bodies, which involved either renovation or new building projects. The renovated Zeilbrug in Amsterdam is an example.

The use of a crane to transfer goods to and from ships and to install offshore components on the sea bottom can be facilitated if the crane involved is fitted with a "Heave Compensation system". This system compensates for wave motion, thereby preventing damage to the components being hoisted.

PIPINGCARE is regularly requested to provide expert input for the installation of these combined hydraulic and nitrogen systems. The quality of the piping installed is critical for such high-pressure systems, which are designed subject to inspection and testing standards.

A Guiding and Upending tool was installed on the working ship MPI Explorer. This special tool was designed for controlled placement of equipment in the sea. PIPINGCARE was responsible for the complete installation of the piping system.

PIPINGCARE has installed complete systems as part of the overall hydraulic project for various newly built pump dredgers. For each pump dredger involved, kilometres of piping had to be installed including various coupling methods using steel as well as stainless steel materials.

An activity characteristic of Pipingcare is working within a project framework in designing and installing dredging and offshore systems. The many years of experience acquired by Pipingcare in working on many such systems have given Pipingcare a wealth of knowledge and expertise in designing and installing such systems on a project basis. Various clients have therefore been able to benefit from Pipingcare's experience in designing and implementing such projects.

Pipingcare has contributed significantly to such hydraulic projects all over the world. The activities involve supplying new piping systems, modifying them, expanding them or renovating them for dredgers and offshore equipment. Examples of such projects can be found in Dubai, Libya, Mexico, Portugal and Singapore.

Earthmoving machines are often built by manufacturers as a standard product, but nowadays local users often demand a variety of options and add-ons. Manufacturers will then standardize these add-ons and options as much as possible with a focus on the local market. Pipingcare takes care of the prefabricated pipes for the installation of such add-ons and options and supplies them as an add-on package.