World’s largest semi-submersible crane vessel completed

Singapore’s Sembcorp Marine has launched the world’s largest semi-submersible crane vessel – the Sleipnir.

The Sleipnir – named after Norse god Odin’s eight-legged horse – is being built for the Dutch offshore services company Heerema Marine Contractors.

With the 220-meter by 102-meter reinforced deck area, the Sleipnir is the largest vessel of the type ever built.

The Sleipnir, which will enter services in the coming months, is equipped with two 10,000-tonne revolving cranes which can lift loads of up to 20,000 tonnes in tandem. The Sleipnir will serve for offshore oil, gas, and renewable energy installation and decommissioning jobs.

It can accommodate 400 persons and will be deployed globally for installing and removing jackets, topsides, deep-water foundations, moorings, and other offshore structures.

Heerema Marine Contractors has already won contracts to deploy the SSCV on several offshore projects including the Leviathan topsides installation in the Mediterranean Sea; Tyra jackets and topsides installation and removal in the Danish North Sea; Brae B jackets and topsides removal in the UK North Sea; as well as transportation and installation of the Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) Alpha HVAC platform in the North Sea, off the Dutch coast.

“In the offshore wind sector, Heerema sees significant growth in the size of wind turbines and foundations, which requires specialized equipment for their installation. With its large cranes capable of 175-meter lifting height and a combined 20,000-tonne lifting capacity, Sleipnir is very well placed to accommodate this trend of increasingly bigger offshore wind turbines,” the Dutch company said.

During the Sleipnir’s christening in Tuas Boulevard Yard on Friday in Singapore, Pieter Heerema, Chairman of the Board at Heerema Marine Contractors, said: “I am immensely proud that Heerema Marine Contractors is again taking things further with the introduction of our new semi-submersible crane vessel. Sleipnir scores several firsts in the industry: It is the largest crane vessel yet built; it has the strongest pair of revolving cranes; and it’s also the world’s first crane vessel with dual-fuel engines running on MGO and LNG, dramatically reducing harmful emissions. Sleipnir’s innovative capabilities will place Heerema even firmer at the forefront of developments in the offshore oil, gas, and wind energy industry for both installations and decommissioning.”

The vessel will leave for sea trials shortly and is scheduled for delivery to Heerema soon afterward, Sembcorp Marine said.

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