GALLERY: Heerema’s crane vessel Sleipnir in record-breaking Leviathan lift

Heerema’s SSCV Sleipnir, the world’s largest crane vessel, has completed a 15,300 tonnes lift this weekend, installing the topsides for Noble Energy’s Leviathan development in the Mediterranean Sea off Israel. 

The Sleipnir left Singapore, where it was built and delivered by Sembcorp Marine, in July.

According to Heerema Marine Contractors’ statement on Sunday, the Leviathan lift has set a world record as lifting a module of 15,300 tonnes has never been done by a crane vessel before.

For the Leviathan development, Sleipnir installed its two main topsides with a total weight of 24,500 tonnes in less than 20 hours.

Heerema noted that Sleipnir is capable of lifting large and commissioned modules, making the installation process take less offshore time and is therefore less costly.

The LNG-powered, semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV) Sleipnir entered into service last July and is part of Heerema Marine Contractors’ fleet. The vessel’s two revolving cranes can lift up to 20,000 tonnes in tandem. Sleipnir can be deployed globally for installing and removing offshore structures.

Heerema’s CEO, Koos-Jan van Brouwershaven, said about the record lift: “We are very proud of this achievement. Sleipnir is a unique vessel. It is LNG-powered and thus climate friendly. And our client enjoys the benefits. Because lifting larger modules means less time involved and therefore a smaller budget will suffice for a job.”

The Noble Energy-operated Leviathan gas field is located approximately 125 km west of Haifa, Israel, and 35 km west of the Tamar field, in the Eastern Mediterranean Levantine Basin. The project will be a subsea production system connecting high-rate subsea wells to a fixed platform. The subsea production system and fixed platform were designed to accommodate up to 2,100 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd).

Noble launched the jacket for the Leviathan platform in February this year. The platform jacket was put on a 180-meter barge in Texas, and crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 28 days, traveling a distance of 11,500 kilometers. The jacket took 18 months to build.

First gas from the project is scheduled for the end of this year.

Offshore Energy Today Staff

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