Dutch heavy weight Allseas has successfully completed commissioning of the topsides lift system on its heavy lift mega-vessel the Pioneering Spirit.
The massive, twin-hull US$2.7 billion vessel has also completed the major part of the harbor test program of the single-lift installation/decommissioning and pipelay vessel.
Pioneering Spirit is 382m-long and 124m-wide and was built to lift up to 48,000-tonne topsides and up to 25,000-tonne jackets, as well as perform pipelay work.
The vessel, a concept few thought could be realized since its creation in 1987, was built in South Korea.
Installation of its lifting beams was carried out at its berth at the Maasvlakte, near the mouth of Rotterdam harbor.
Pioneering Spirit was due to start its working life in summer 2015, but commissioning the lifting arms has taken longer than expected, due to their complexity.
The test program was carried out in Alexia harbor, Rotterdam, at the end of July. All 12 installed topsides lifting beams were tested to their respective lift capacities of nearly 3700-metric ton. The last of the four tests, involving four beams lifting 14,700-tonne, was performed on 23 July. During harbor lifting trials, the 12 beams together lifted over 44,000-tonne.
Throughout August, Pioneering Spirit is expected to complete offshore trials and a test platform topsides installation and removal exercises in the southern North Sea.
Late-August or early September, it is then due to perform its first commercial job - removal of the 13,500-tonne Yme mobile offshore production unit (MOPU) offshore Norway for Repsol.
Following removal of the Yme platform, Pioneering Spirit will return to Rotterdam where the remaining four topsides lifting beams will be installed for the Shell Brent Delta topsides removal, scheduled for summer 2017. Allseas is also contracted to lift the other three Brent topsides, at dates yet to be decided, as well as installing Statoil's Johan Sverdrup topsides, offshore Norway.
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Image from Allseas.
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