A 5,000-tonne capacity crane is being assembled on ship to support the renewables, oil and gas and decom markets
Belgium’s DEME has reported its offshore installation vessel Orion has arrived in Rostock, Germany, for the erection of the biggest offshore crane ever built by Liebherr Maritime Cranes.
Assembly of the HLC 295000 model crane began following the arrival of the 216-m offshore installation vessel, according to parent Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH. The crane is being assembled on an 800-tonne pedestal on board the vessel, which will also include a rigging store, deck workplace and several offices.
To install and assemble the HLC 295000 on Orion, Liebherr Maritime Cranes recently inaugurated the TCC 78000 travelling cargo crane. With its maximum lifting capacity of 1,600 tonnes and a maximum lifting height of 158 m, the TCC 78000 is equipped with double bogeys (two rails per side) and has a track gauge of 30 m. This provides the gantry crane with the flexibility needed for handling all types of heavy equipment and components.
With a lifting capacity of 5,000 tonnes at 30-m outreach, the new HLC 295000 model maritime crane will provide Orion with the capability to perform heavy-lift operations in the offshore wind, offshore oil and gas and decommissioning sectors.
Delivered in October by China’s COSCO Qidong shipyard, Orion is a dynamic position class 3-capable offshore installation vessel that brings what DEME calls “a game-changing installation concept to the offshore energy market.”
Orion will have the capability to transport monopiles, jackets, wind turbine components and structures in a single shipment, and can transport and install the next generation of multi-megawatt wind turbines. Such capabilities will help reduce the costs of installing offshore wind foundations.
Besides operational versatility, sustainability is also a core philosophy for DEME and environmental considerations are an important element of the vessel’s design. Fitted with four 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 46DF dual-fuel electric propulsion engines, two 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel engines and the Wärtsilä LNGPac storage and supply system, Orion will be capable of burning LNG as a fuel. The Wärtsilä LNGPac system is based on an IMO type C LNG storage tank, with refuelling from the bunkering station to the LNG tank via an insulated pipe. All the process equipment is installed in a separate unit.
Wärtsilä also supplied the vessel’s propulsion equipment, including two retractable thrusters and four underwater demountable thrusters.
It will have a Green Passport and Clean Design notation from class society DNV GL. Another environmental innovation is a waste heat recovery system that converts heat from the exhaust gases and cooling water to electrical energy.
Orion will join the fleet in 2020 and be deployed to the Moray East offshore windfarm project located in the Outer Moray Firth, off the northeast coast of Scotland. Awarded the engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract, DEME will be responsible for installing 100 turbine foundations and three offshore substation foundations, and the installation of 103 jackets. Moray East ‘s 100 MHI Vestas wind turbines, each with a capacity of 9.5 MW, will generate enough power for an estimated 1M homes.
Delivery of Orion is part of an ambitious fleet investment programme undertaken by DEME. Last year, it added Living Stone, a dynamic position class 3-capable cable installation vessel
outfitted with a unique cable installation system, with two 5,000-tonne cable turntables located below the main deck. The cable installation system can install one cable while fully preparing a second one on deck. This minimises the time needed to prepare the cables, while reducing the risk of damaging them.
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