Massive crane will be installation ship’s main tool

Boskalis also selected Huisman to provide a 3,000-tonne offshore mast crane for Bokalift 1 in 2017.

With a lifting capacity of 4,000 tonnes at 100 m above deck, the crane is capable of lifting jackets for wind turbines off the deck of the vessel. A fly jib allows lifting of smaller components up to a height of 125 m above deck.

The configuration of the hoisting tackle is such that the crane is capable of lifting large jackets and of upending long monopiles from a horizontal to vertical position.

The crane is outfitted with auxiliary systems to help install tall structures while the vessel is subject to wave-induced motions.

The launch project for the crane vessel will be installing jackets for the Changfang and Xidao offshore windfarm in Taiwan. The project, awarded to Boskalis recently, includes transporting and installing 62 three-legged jacket foundations and 186 pin piles.

Huisman said its mast cranes have a small footprint and no tail swing, which leaves maximum space on the deck of the vessel for payload.

With its ability to lift structures more than 100 m high, Huisman’s crane will make Bokalift 2 a flexible asset, able to address the installation of current and future offshore wind turbine foundations and undertake work in the offshore oil and gas, decommissioning and salvage industries.