Hydramarine News

Cargotec’s MacGregor has developed technology for handling lightweight fiber rope and is about to install the world’s first subsea crane to use fibre rope In January. MacGregor is delivering the world’s first subsea knuckle-jib crane equipped with a system for fibre rope handling, which will be installed on the subsea vessel Havila Phoenix. The 250 tonne Hydramarine active heave-compensated (AHC) offshore crane is designed with a 250 tonne/3,000m single-line winch and is prepared for a 250 tonne single-line fibre rope.

The three cranes are identical and belong to MacGREGOR’s well-known HMC 3568 series, with a 150-tonne single-line winch capable of working in depths down to 3,000m. The advanced Hydramarine AHC system gives the vessel an increased weather window for offshore operation. Louisiana-based Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) owns and operates a growing fleet of new generation offshore service vessels supporting the majority of the US Gulf deepwater market, as well as a large independently owned fleet of research vessels. ECO's ability to design, build, own and operate, combined with a corporate philosophy to provide customers with the right vessel at a competitive price, has proven to be very successful.

Offshore equipment orders recently signed by MacGREGOR’s Offshore division include the single biggest order in the history of the newly acquired Norwegian company Hydramarine AS. This is for two Hydramarine active heave compensated (AHC) cranes for an offshore vessel being delivered in 2010 to a Norwegian shipowner. One of the cranes will have a lifting capacity of 400 tons and a 9842 ft. (3,000m) hook travel. The cranes will be manufactured at the Offshore division’s factory in Kristiansand, Norway. Other orders include four Hydramarine AHC cranes for four offshore vessels being delivered during 2009 and 2010 to shipowners from Germany and India. The cranes have lifting capacities of 100-150 ton and a 6561 ft.-9842 ft (2,000-3,000m) hook travel.

As of September, 2001, the Spanish fishing and merchant fleet can count on a truly exceptional seagoing salvage and medical care facility: the ship Esperanza del Mar, built by the Gijón yard of the Izar Group, for the Marine Welfare Institute, a division of the Spanish Labor Ministry. There is no other ship in the world of this tonnage and characteristics built specifically for salvage and medical care at sea. This project is due principally to the initiative of the Marine Welfare Institute. When the time came to replace the old Esperanza del Mar, after more than 20 years of service, the Institute employed its long experience in the preparation of an exhaustive specification for the call for tenders for the building of the new ship, and financed its construction and commissioning.

Norway's west coast maritime cluster has again demonstrated its technological skills and business verve through the delivery of a complex, diesel-electric offshore support vessel equipped to carry out deepwater subsea inspection and construction tasks. Ordered from Aukra Industrier by local operator District Offshore (DOF), the 275-ft. (84-m) Skandi Carla ranks among the world's most sophisticated ships designed for ROV(remote-operated vehicle) deployment. The powerful, dynamic-positioning vessel entered an immediate five-year charter assignment to Aberdeen-based survey specialist Fugro-UDI, to whose requirements she has been customized.

Cargotec’s MacGREGOR business area providing marine cargo handling solutions has received significant offshore equipment orders. The equipment will be delivered during 2008–2010 and the value of the orders exceeds EUR 55 million. The orders include an order for anchor-handling and mooring winches delivered for Chinese shipyard Yangzhou Dayang. The shipyard is building 32 offshore supply vessels that will be delivered for French shipowner Bourbon. The other orders include several orders for a total of 23 knuckle boom offshore cranes. The cranes will be delivered for 11 offshore supply vessels which will be built in several shipyards in Europe, USA and India. MacGREGOR established in June a new division MacGREGOR Offshore.

The MacGREGOR Group recently unveiled details of its new offshore division, a division made possible by the recent acquisitions of Hydramarine in Norway and Plimsoll in Singapore. The Offshore division will comprise more than 660 employees: 160 in Norway and 500 in Asia. In 2006, Hydramarine and Plimsoll had a combined turnover of approximately €104 million and a order backlog of €175 million. Both Hydramarine and Plimsoll are financially consolidated into the MacGREGOR Group as of April 1, 2007. According to the company, there are a number of strong synergies in combining Hydramarine and Plimsoll into one new business division. Business-wise…

Cargotec’s MacGregor business area providing marine cargo handling solutions has established a new division, MacGregor Offshore. The acquired companies, Norwegian Hydramarine and Singaporean Plimsoll will be the foundation for the new division. The offshore division will be headed by Henrik Vildenfeldt who previously worked as SVP, Corporate Development at MacGregor. Vildenfeldt reports to Olli Isotalo, President of MacGREGOR. The new division employs approximately 700 people. Both Hydramarine and Plimsoll are included in MacGregor financials as of the beginning of April 2007. The new offshore division will focus on achieving targeted synergies from the combination of Hydramarine and Plimsoll and continue to build on future growth.

MacGREGOR’s expansion into the offshore support sector continues with its latest acquisition, Vestnorsk Hydraulikkservice AS (VNH). The company is a service and turn-key system supplier to the offshore and marine industries, its main focus being offshore hydraulics service and products. VNH has a 1,100m² workshop suitable for service of hydraulic equipment in Ågotnes, west of Bergen, Norway. The company has net sales of €4.5 million and employs 21 people. Vestnorsk Hydraulikkservice AS is today owned by Vestnorsk Holding AS. VNH works fully in the offshore industry and carries out installation, troubleshooting and repairs on and off shore. About 80 per cent of its revenue comes from service, the rest from various hydraulic turn-key projects.

MacGREGOR has signed an agreement to acquire Hydramarine AS. Hydramarine is based in Norway and is a company in high-end offshore and subsea load handling systems for the offshore vessel industry. MacGREGOR will acquire 90 percent of the company with the remaining shares being owned by employees. The acquisition is subject to competition authority approval. Hydramarine focuses on the development of hydraulic and electrical deck machinery equipment for shipowners, yards and operators. Its key products are large active heave compensated cranes to the offshore industry. It offers a complete range of high-end handling systems such as cranes, davits, winches and subsea load handling solutions. Its products are installed on various kinds of offshore supply vessels and rigs.