Heerema’s Sleipnir, the world’s largest crane vessel, completed a 15,300 tonnes lift on 7-8 September. The ship installed the topsides for Noble Energy’s Leviathan development in the Mediterranean. This sets a world record: a crane vessel has never before performed such a heavy lift.
For the Leviathan development, the Sleipnir installed its two main topsides with a total weight of 24,500 tonnes in less than twenty hours. The semi-submersible crane vessel was selected for the job in order to save budget; as the Sleipnir is capable of lifting large and commissioned modules, the installation process takes less offshore time and is therefore less costly.
LNG Powered
The 220-metre long Sleipnir entered into service last July and is part of Heerema Marine Contractor’s fleet. It is LNG-powered. Two revolving cranes can lift up to 20,000 tonnes in tandem. The ship can be deployed globally for installing and removing offshore structures.
Heerema’s CEO Koos-Jan van Brouwershaven 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.’
