Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) recently signed a Letter of Intent with Huisman Equipment for the design and construction of two powerful cranes for its planned New Semi-submersible Crane Vessel (NSCV).

Each crane will be capable of lifting 10,000 tonnes in revolving mode, making them the largest offshore cranes in the world.

The cranes, so-called tub cranes, will be based on a large bearing, similar to cranes Huisman built for HMC’s Aegir. Eac h crane will be able to lift 10,000 tonnes at a 48 meters radius under offshore conditions.

The boom will have a length of 145 meters and with the boom up, it will reach a height of 210 meters above the waterline. Huisman’s innovative approach was a contributing factor in HMC’s decision to sign the LOI.

World’s largest crane vessel

With these two cranes and overall dimensions of 214 meters in length and 97.5 meters in width, the NSCV will become the world’s largest semi-submersible crane vessel.

CEO Jan-Pieter Klaver stresses that HMC will evaluate various shipyards for the construction of the hull in the second half of this year before a final investment decision will be taken.

In line with HMC’s strong focus on Health and Safety Regulations, the design of the vessel must meet the highest health and safety standards with minimal environmental impact both during fabrication and operation.

The NSCV will be deployed globally and will be self-propelled with a transit speed of 10 knots, faster than any other currently operational crane vessel. The vessel’s hull configuration consists of a large deckbox mounted on an eight-column structure mounted on two pontoons.

Earlier, HMC signed a Basic Design contract with KBR subsidiary GVA for the development of the new crane vessel.