SSCV Thialf
 SSCV Thialf in a Norwegian fjord
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SSCV Thialf |
| Namesake | Thialfi (Norse servant of Thor)[1] |
| Operator | Heerema Marine Contractors |
| Builder | Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding[2] |
| Identification |
|
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Semi-submersible crane vessel |
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | 198,750 t max |
| Length | 201.6 m (661 ft) |
| Beam | 88.4 m (290 ft) |
| Height | 144.0 m (472.4 ft) crane |
| Draft | 31.6 m (104 ft) max |
| Depth | 49.5 m (162 ft) |
| Propulsion | 6 × 5,500 kW retractable azimuthing thrusters |
| Complement | 736 berths |
The SSCV Thialf is a huge semi-submersible crane vessel operated by the Netherlands-based Heerema Marine Contractors; it was the largest crane vessel in the world until the SSCV Sleipnir became the largest in 2019.
History
[edit]The ship was constructed in 1985 as DB-102 for McDermott International by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. In 1997, it was taken over by Heerema Marine Contractors after discontinuation of their joint venture with McDermott, HeereMac, and renamed Thialf.
Layout
[edit]The Thialf has two cranes with a combined maximum lifting capacity of 14,200 metric tons.[4]
It is equipped with a class III dynamic positioning system. Propulsion and position keeping is by six 5,500-kW retractable azimuthing thrusters. For shallow waters, there are 12 Flipper Delta anchors at 22.5 t, with 2,500-meter, 80-mm mooring wire.
The hull consists of two pontoons with four columns each. Transit draft is about 12 meters. For lifting operations, it is normally ballasted down to 26.6 m (87 ft). This way the pontoons (with a draft of 13.6 meters) are well submerged to reduce the effect of waves and swell.
It is able to accommodate 736 people.
Its lightship weight is 72,484 t.
Noteworthy projects
[edit]
- Installing the pylon of the Erasmus Bridge in 1995.
- Decommissioning of the Brent Spar in 1998.
- In 2000, it set a world record of 11,883 t by lifting Shell's Shearwater topsides, beaten by Saipem 7000 in 2004 with the Sabratha deck lifting of 12,150 t.[5]
- In 2004, it installed the topsides on BP's Holstein, at the time the world's largest spar. The lift was a record for the Gulf of Mexico: 7,810 t. The current[as of?] record for Gulf of Mexico is now held by the Saipem 7000 with the 9,521 t of PEMEX PB-KU-A2 deck installed in March 2007.[6]
- In 2005, it installed the heaviest single piece foundation piles: 2.74 meters diameter × 190 meters long, weighing 818 t each for Chevron's Benguela Belize compliant tower.
- In 2009, the ship became involved in the Alpha Ventus project, the first German offshore windfarm.
- 2017-2018: The Thialf was involved in the installation of the platform sections of the Johan Sverdrup Complex, part of the development of the Johan Sverdrup oil field.[7]
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ "Thialf". Ugly Ships. 14 May 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
- ^ "DCV Thialf". Heerema Marine Contractors. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
- ^ "DCV Thialf". Marine Traffic. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
- ^ "American Bureau of Shipping Record, Thialf". Archived from the original on April 20, 2009.
- ^ "Lloyd's Register EMEA assists world record lift for Sabratha topsides installation". Lloyd register. Archived from the original on March 3, 2007.
- ^ "Saipem Sets New Record in Mexico".
- ^ "Special projects thanks to Dutch offshore contractors".