Lifting Equipment News

IACS, the membership organization for the world’s leading classification societies, has published a Recommendation to improve safety standards for lifting appliances, in line with SOLAS regulations covering both new and existing lifting appliances.Lifting appliances play a vital role in cargo handling and ship operations, yet their limited structural redundancy has long posed safety risks for crews and vessels. To address these hazards, the IMO has introduced new mandatory requirements for the design…

Semco Maritime and Zamakona Yards have formed a strategic alliance to establish Las Palmas Shipyard, a new hub for rig upgrades, vessel maintenance and offshore modification projects in the Canary Islands.The partnership combines Semco Maritime’s engineering and project execution expertise with Zamakona’s shipyard infrastructure and marine services capabilities. Operations at the Las Palmas facility have already begun.The shipyard is designed to support rig owners, offshore operators and special vessel clients by providing integrated services covering upgrades…

Huisman has signed a contract with Dong Fang Offshore (DFO) for the delivery of a modular cable lay system, specifically designed for deployment across range of vessels.Huisman’s 30mt cable lay system will be suitable for deployment for DFO’s newbuild Construction Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) and Offshore Construction Vessels, built by Vard.This marks Huisman’s first cable lay system, built on the company’s extensive track record in the deepwater pipelay market.The system can be configured to support both inter-array and export cable laying with DFO’s existing and newbuild vessels…

Norwegian shipowner Rem Offshore has launched the hull for its dual-fuel methanol energy subsea construction vessel (ESCV) Rem Pioneer in Vietnam, months ahead of schedule.The launch ceremony was held on June 27 at Song Cam shipyard in Vietnam.According to the company, hull construction will continue for a while, and outfitting will begin in the autumn at Myklebust Verft.Rem Pioneer ESCV will be delivered in 2026 and will be the first of its kind that can perform heavy construction…

Tugdock and Sarens have secured funding from Crown Estate’s Supply Chain Accelerator for a joint project to develop a heavy lift operations and maintenance (O&M) hub at ABP’s port of Port Talbot in Wales to support floating wind projects in the region.With key support from major industry players such as ABP and RWE, and other partnerships, the vision for the facility is to provide support for heavy lift equipment used in floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea.Port Talbot's strategic location near the Celtic Sea makes it an optimal hub for supporting floating offshore wind projects…

Brunvoll has signed a contract with Myklebust Verft shipyard for the delivery of a thruster package to REM Offshore’s new energy subsea construction vessel (ESCV).The contract is for one vessel with an additional vessel as an option.Brunvoll will deliver a thruster package consisting of two propulsion azimuth thrusters, two retractable azimuth thrusters, and a tunnel thruster.One of the retractable azimuth thrusters is a newly developed and more compact version of Brunvoll’s traditional azimuth combi thrusters…

Corvus Energy has been selected by HAF Power Solutions (HPS) to supply Energy Storage Systems (ESS) for the Energy Subsea Construction Vessel (ESCV) to be built for shipowner REM Offshore.The new ESCV is of ST-245 design and will be the first vessel to perform heavy construction work in both offshore wind and the subsea market with net zero emissions. The vessel will be equipped with dual-fuel methanol engines and a 1.7MW battery system. The batteries will be used for spinning…

Norway-based offshore vessel owner Rem Offshore and shipbuilder Myklebust Verft have signed a contract for the construction of an Energy Subsea Construction Vessel (ESCV) with a 250-tonne crane.The vessel will be delivered in 2026 and will be the first of its kind that can perform heavy construction work in both offshore wind and subsea with net zero emissions, according to Rem Offshore.The contract also contains an option to build one more vessel, the company confirmed.The vessel will be equipped with dual-fuel methanol engines in combination with battery packs.

INEOS Forties Pipeline System (FPS) has selected Liebherr for the supply of a new Ram Luffing (RL) series offshore crane for its Unity Platform in the UK North Sea.After more than 30 years of service, the currently installed RL crane on the Unity Platform has run its course, and will be replaced by Liebherr’s RL 650 technology.The RL 650 crane, said to be particularly suitable for a Not Permanently Attended Installation (NPAI), will fulfil all material handling for the offshore platform…

Hapo International Barges has acquired cranes recently removed from Cadeler's Wind Orca and the Wind Osprey offshore wind installation vessels from Cadeler.These 1,200-ton cranes had to be replaced with even larger cranes for Cadeler to be able to install the next generation of wind turbines. The cranes are each capable of lifting 1200 t with a boom length of 115 m."For Hapo [this is] an excellent opportunity to further strengthen its position in the heavy-lift barge market.On November 1, 2023, the second crane was handed over on the bridge of the Wind Osprey following a technical inspection.

If you think the human element is the only cause of enclosed space deaths, think again.Enclosed space incidents are cited as the largest cause of on-duty fatalities in commercial shipping. The risks can’t simply be engineered out, but there’s a powerful coalition wanting action nonetheless.There’s a tendency to blame failure to follow procedures, they say. Investigations seldom focus on the practicality of those procedures or the influence of the operating environment and vessel design, they say.

The Jones Act is a single sentence long, and yet somehow that reservation of U.S. domestic maritime commerce to qualified U.S.-flag vessels has spawned numerous complications with respect to offshore wind energy projects. Although not supported by prior experience, maybe 2023 will bring some clarity.U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the primary source of guidance for how the Jones Act applies. CBP issued its first two offshore wind rulings in May 2010 and February 2011 in the heady early days of U.S. offshore wind.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced $19.6 million in grant awards to 24 small shipyards in 19 states through the Small Shipyard Grant Program.The funds will help awardees—many of which being family-run businesses—modernize, increase productivity and expand local employment opportunities while competing in the global marketplace, MARAD said.“Small businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy, and small shipyards play a critical role in America’s maritime industry, helping us get the goods we depend on every day,” said U.S.

Norwegian engineering and construction firm Aibel's yard in Thailand has completed the construction of the Dogger Bank A wind farm substation topside, in what is the first ever HVDC converter platform exported from Thailand.Loaded on a BigLift heavy transportation vessel, the topside is now en route to Haugesund, Norway where further equipment will be installed ahead of the installation at its final offshore location at what will be the world's largest offshore wind farm, the Dogger Bank…

Liftal Hijstechniek has acquired Damen Hoisting. The agreement will be effected on October 1, and the organization will be incorporated into the full-service specialist in lifting and hoisting technology.Damen Hoisting was established five years ago as a business unit of Damen Anchor & Chain Factory B.V., located on the premises of Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam in Schiedam. The hoisting division serves customers from various markets such as the maritime, offshore, industrial and…

Retrofits of new features into existing ports cranes can produce operational efficiency and safety gains not included on cranes delivered 15-20 years ago, including Ship-to-Shore (STS) Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) and Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) types. Here, Dmitry Lapin, Knowledge and Development Manager, Port Services, Konecranes, looks at retrofit options proven in applications internationally.Sooner or later, the owners of ports cargo handling equipment are going to face a number of technical and organizational questions about the future.

Fincantieri is teaming up with the Mexican government to open a new shipyard that will provide repair, conversions and maintenance cruise ships, large cargo vessels and oil and gas vessels.The Italian shipbuilding giant revealed Tuesday that it has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with the Ministry of Economic Development and Labor of the Yucatán State (Mexico) to participate in the design and construction of the new facility, located within the expansion and modernization of the Port of Progreso, the main port of the state, approximately 35 kilometers from the capital Merida.

SPI Servicios Portuarios Integrados for Mar del Plata port in Argentina has acquired a DOP Dredger component package from Damen Shipyards Group. The Argentinian shipyard will build major components and assemble the dredger. The DOP Dredger 250 will be used to dredge underneath a floating dock, which the shipyards wants to keep operational full-time. The trick is that the dock will remain in place during the dredging activities.The Argentinian ship builder SPI has an extensive yard in the bay of Mar del Plata, located on the South Atlantic Ocean.

To provide preventive and predictive maintenance services, combined with workshop services for clients operating worldwide in the offshore oil, gas, marine and renewables industry, the Dutch Van Aalst Group recently set up Nortek Services AS in Kristiansand, Norway.According to Wijnand van Aalst, CEO of the Van Aalst Group and Safeway, the initiative to launch Nortek stems mainly from the rapid growth currently taking place at a number of Van Aalst companies. Safeway from the Netherlands has achieved success with its motion-compensated gangways and Techano in Norway…

Dutch heavy lift and transport specialist Mammoet was hired to help shipbuilder Austal Philippines carry out a full scope load-out and float-off of its largest ever high speed catamaran ferry launched earlier this year.During its conceptualization phase, Mammoet’s engineers proposed a revised methodology that reduced the volume of heavy lifting equipment required to complete the maneuver, helping to bring down costs for the operation. With this, there was not a need to include a long list of equipment…

UK-based A&P Group its shipyard in Falmouth is refitting the Wightlink RO-RO ferry Wight Light. Wightlink is a passenger and vehicle  ferry company operating routes between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in southern England.Wight Light visited A&P Falmouth for its two-yearly refit period. Vessels from the Wightlink fleet have been visiting A&P Falmouth since the early 2000s for dry-dockings and maintenance work.During Wight Light’s recent refit, a new engine was fitted and commissioned, leak and dye penetrant testing was carried out on its forward and aft Voith blades, along with deflection testing of its aft Voith propulsion unit.Additional works include replacing hydraulic pipework on the ship’s garage deck…

Dutch maritime contracting company Van Oord is partnering with compatriot company Hendrik Veder Group for the management of heavy lifting equipment for offshore wind turbines.Rotterdam-based company active in steel wire and fibre rope products and services said that under the terms of the two-year agreement, Van Oord will outsource its hoisting and lifting equipment management to the Hendrik Veder Group, with a focus on sustainable lifting.According to Michiel Pieterman, Offshore Wind Operations Manager at Van Oord: "This partnership enables us to use lifting equipment in a sustainable way. The high-quality lifting equipment has a longer lifespan, because it is either reused or converted into new raw materials, while guaranteeing 100 percent compliance at all times.

Finnish manufacturer of cranes and lifting equipment Konecranes Oyj has won an order to supply a terminal at Tangier Med Port II with 16 Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) cranes.The cranes will be delivered in batches with the last ones arriving by mid-July 2020. The order was booked in May 2019.The 16 Konecranes RTGs will go into service at the new container terminal TC3, Tanger Med 2, in the Port of Tangier. They will be the first Konecranes container cranes in Morocco. Tanger Med 2 is the second phase of development of the Tanger Med port complex.Mr. Said Asbaai, Chairman of the Executive Board of Tanger Alliance said: “Konecranes is known for the excellence of its technology and high-performing cranes.