Dutch crane specialist Huisman has signed a letter of intent with Norway-based Wergeland and PSW for the delivery of its Skyhook quayside crane at the Gulen Industrial Harbour, Norway.
The crane - dubbed the largest Slewing Jib Quayside Crane in the world - will be deployed at the Gulen Industrial Harbour, the base of Wergeland and near PSW Group in Mongstad, providing the additional potential for both decommissioning works as well as for outfitting the next generation deepwater semi-submersibles in the port’s 100 meters wide dock.
The Skyhook crane has a lifting capacity of 2,600 mt in the regular configuration as well as a ‘high lift’ mode with a super flyjib, also enabling the assembly of today’s and tomorrow’s offshore wind turbines.
According to a press statement released this week, the location of the harbor, in the west of Norway, adds value to both the ambitions for offshore wind in Norway, and to the ongoing oil and gas developments on the Norwegian continental shelf.
"With the installation of 11 8MW Siemens Gamesa turbines for Norway’s first floating wind farm ‘Hywind Tampen’, Wergeland will demonstrate that Gulen Industrial Harbour has the potential to become the key assembly location for Norwegian offshore wind projects," the press note reads.
Trygve Wergeland, CEO at Wergeland Base AS: “Wergeland has the ambition to become the primary assembly site for the growing offshore wind industry. During our preparatory work for ‘Hywind Tampen’ [floating wind farm], we have seen some of the challenges related to logistics and assembly of large offshore wind turbines. By establishing a crane capacity such as the one we are planning with Huisman and PSW, we will contribute to cost reduction and efficient logistics for clients in the years to come. With this crane capacity, along with the drydock that is currently under construction, we can offer a complete service portfolio together with PSW.”
Recently, Huisman lifted several 1,700mt monopiles for a local wind farm with its Skyhook Crane, based at its facility near Xiamen, P.R. of China. With this lift Huisman demonstrated that the Skyhook is suitable for marshaling wind turbine foundations as well as turbine components, the company said.
David Roodenburg, CEO at Huisman: “We are proud to team up with Wergeland and PSW to bring Europe’s largest fit-for-purpose quayside crane to the west coast of Norway.
With Norway’s focus on connecting its decade-long offshore expertise to today’s drive for clean energy, Huisman sees the installation of the proven Skyhook crane as a key driver to further enable logistic efficiency for Norway’s offshore industry.”