Huisman will deliver a 1600-tonne leg encircling crane to Fred. Olsen Windcarrier. The offshore contractor is upgrading one of its jack-up vessels with the new crane. Upon delivery in February 2022, it is said to be the tallest crane in the market.
With its upgraded crane, the vessel will be capable of installing larger foundations and handling all known next generation turbines. The new crane will be placed on one of Fred. Olsen’s Gusto 9000 jack-up vessels, but the company did not say which one. The company has two these vessels in its fleet, the Brave Tern and Bold Tern. Both vessels are currently equipped with an 800-tonne Gusto main crane, meaning the new crane will double the lift capacity of one these vessels.
Crane capacities and features
- Auxiliary hook 400 tonnes @ 165 metres above deck (140 metres boom)
- 1250 tonnes @ 38.5 metres @ 155 metres above deck (140 metres boom)
- 1600 tonnes @ 32 metres (105 metres boom)
- Small tail swing allows for optimised utilisation of free deck space.
- A fully electrically driven system, resulting in reduced maintenance and higher reliability.
- A unique Lambda boom design, allowing extension of the boom, resulting in high flexibility.
- The stiff construction of the Lambda shaped boom results in reduced motions at the crane tip. Catchers on all blocks/hooks minimise time spent on stowing.
- The small/compact size of the crane in combination with its low own weight and high lifting capacity (1600 tonnes) make the crane unique and suitable for both the installation of wind turbines (long boom and light weight crane design) and the installation of foundations (short boom and strong crane construction.)
‘This unique crane has been enhanced with key updates and an even more extreme boom,’ says Alexandra Koefoed, Managing Director, Fred. Olsen Windcarrier. ‘The enhanced outreach capacity of this crane upgrade allows us to stow the wind turbine components in a more flexible way despite the increased crane weight, thus maintaining or exceeding the payload we carry for our clients. The leg encircling crane also saves deck space. This is a considerable lifetime extension for the vessel, as the weight and dimensions of wind turbine components continues to increase.’
