This thesis investigates vibration transmission during \ac{vp} with a focus on risks to the lifting equipment. The work is motivated by incident reports and by the absence of field measurements on cranes during offshore operations. The study aims to identify resonance frequency(ies), quantify component displacements, determine forces in the hoist cable, and characterize how each component responds across the input frequency range. A secondary aim is to relate frequencies that favor pile penetration to potential risks for the crane.

A two stage modeling approach is adopted. First, the crane is generalized to a \ac{2d} form and converted to a \ac{1d} system of lumped masses and linear springs aligned vertically. The pedestal is idealized as fixed. Linear behavior and small displacements are assumed. Second, the \ac{mp} is modeled in Ansys with shell elements to capture flexible body behavior. A mode reduction retains only axial modes of the \ac{mp}, since bending, torsion, and circumferential shell modes do not directly couple to the vertical vibration path that governs \ac{vp}. Depth dependent stiffness and damping represent the soil at the toe. Hoist stiffness varies with depth through cable length.

The calculation method separates free and forced vibration. In free vibration, the system eigen-problem provides resonance frequency(ies) and mode shapes with the \ac{mp} first treated as rigid. The axial flexible body natural frequency of the \ac{mp} is then obtained from the shell model. In forced vibration, the harmonic response is computed to obtain frequency response functions and absolute displacement magnitudes for the components, as well as the hoist cable force.

Results show two frequency families that govern the response. The first family contains the system resonance frequency(ies) with a rigid \ac{mp}. The second family contains the axial flexible body natural frequency of the \ac{mp}. Modes 1, 2, and 4 are largely insensitive to \ac{mp} flexibility. Mode 3 and the axial flexible body frequency depend strongly on the soil stiffness at the toe and shift with depth. Within the operational range of the \ac{vh}, the fourth system resonance and the first axial flexible body frequency of the \ac{mp} lie close together and can interchange order as depth changes.

The harmonic response clarifies component participation at key frequencies. Near Mode 3, motion concentrates in the exciter and \ac{mp} and engages the soil stiffness most strongly. Near Mode 4, the lower block and bias mass dominate while the \ac{mp} response is limited. At the axial flexible body frequency of the \ac{mp}, the head and toe move in opposite directions with a near stationary point along the pile length, consistent with a fundamental axial mode. These behaviors explain the locations and amplitudes of the observed peaks.

A verification step compares boom tip response and hoist cable force between the simplified system and the full \ac{fe} crane. The first peak aligns in both models, supporting the validity of the simplified representation for global behavior. Differences at higher frequencies are traced to flexible crane substructures that the simplified model does not include. This comparison establishes where the simplified model is reliable and where detailed crane is more suitable for cranes structure fatigue study.

Mitigation is explored conceptually. Removing the hoist load path would eliminate force transmission into the boom, but this is often impractical. Introducing an isolator between the lifting equipment and the piling equipment is a more practical option. When tuned near the axial flexible body frequency of the \ac{mp} and near the fourth system resonance, an isolator can reduce force transmission into the boom while preserving penetration performance.

The study concludes that frequencies that favor penetration can occur near frequencies that amplify responses in the lifting equipment. Managing this close proximity requires attention to frequency modes, awareness of depth effects through soil stiffness, hoist force fluctuations, and consideration of isolation in the load path. The work provides a structured method to identify critical frequencies, quantify responses, and separate the roles of monopile flexibility and crane structure, while pointing to targeted measurements and modeling extensions that would complete a validated framework for decision making.

Current service and installation activities to offshore wind turbines (OWTs) are mainly carried out by jack-up vessels. These vessels are less susceptive to disturbances caused by sea waves when they lift their hull from the water level by jacking down multiple legs to the seabed. An alternative is a crane mounted on a floating vessel, which has the benefits of being faster regarding sailing time, cheaper in operation, able to locate multiple times around the same offshore site and able to operate in deep waters. However floating crane vessels have a significant lower workability in comparison to jack-up vessels and are therefore not deployed in OWT activities yet.
Huisman initiated the three-dimensional (3D) motion compensated crane (MCC) project to improve the workability of crane vessels in offshore operations - thereby focusing on the performance of the equipped cranes - such that floating crane vessels will be able to install and service OWTs during an sufficiently large operational window. But to date MCCs have never been realized for offshore wind industry, which makes it difficult to estimate their performance beforehand and evaluate whether they are feasibile.
This thesis describes the development of a procedure to assess the feasibility of motion systems from a mechatronic design perspective and the motion compensation system of the Huisman 3D MCC is used as a case study. Several aspects of the MCC have been studied into more detail because these aspects are an determining factor regarding feasibility. These aspects are the influence of actuator type and crane boom flexibility and the performance during realistic offshore conditions. To investigate these aspects the system dynamics of the conceptual design are modelled, a controller is designed for the model and parameters are identified. Next the model is evaluated on its disturbance rejection capability because this is an important performance indicator for motion compensation, its robustness is examined and whether the OWT installation requirements are fulfilled.