Heerema inks LoI with Jurong Shipyard for ‘world’s largest’ semi-sub crane vessel

Heerema Offshore Services has announced the signing of a Letter of Intent (LoI) regarding the engineering and construction of a new semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV) with Jurong Shipyard Pte Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Marine.

Heerema Offshore Services B.V., a subsidiary of Heerema Marine Contractors Holding Nederland SE (HMC), will equip its new vessel with two cranes of 10,000 tonnes lifting capacity each. The dual cranes, designed and under construction by Huisman Equipment B.V., provide heavy lifting capacity to install and remove offshore facilities. Furthermore, the cranes can be utilized for the installation of subsea structures, foundations, moorings, and floating structures in deep water. The SSCV will be self-propelled with a transit speed of 10 knots, with power generated by means of dual fuel engines – MGO & LNG. Station-keeping is by means of dynamic positioning (DP3) or mooring system. With a vessel length of 214 meters and a width of 97.5 meters the SSCV will be the world’s largest crane vessel.

According to the company, the introduction of the SSCV will enable HMC to meet customers’ demand for lifting capacity beyond what HMC can currently offer. Additionally, the large reinforced work deck will increase efficiency when installing or removing offshore facilities.

Jan-Pieter Klaver, CEO of Heerema Marine Contractors, said: “Our Letter of Intent with Jurong Shipyard represents the next critical step in our plans to introduce the SSCV to the market. The fact that we decided to press on with our plans in these times of low oil prices, shows our belief in the offshore oil and gas industry and demonstrates our continued commitment to offer unparalleled installation services to the industry. We are confident that with Jurong we have found a reliable partner that can build the world largest crane vessel.”

Wong Weng Sun, President and CEO of Sembcorp Marine said: “We are very pleased that Heerema has chosen Jurong Shipyard as their strategic partner to engineer the construction of the New Semi-Submersible Crane Vessel. With our proven track record in building a broad range of semi-submersible vessels for drilling, well-intervention and accommodation purposes, we are confident of building the best vessel to meet Heerema’s exacting requirements.”

Heerema Marine Contractors currently already owns four crane vessels, namely: SSCV Thialf, DCV Balder, SSCV Hermod, and DCV Aegir.