Allseas informed that the company has been booked to transport some 125,000 tonnes of new and obsolete offshore facilities with its Pioneering Spirit. The vessel has been undergoing some additional modification and transformation recently. 

Some of the projects set to be completed by the vessel are the installation of the 700 MW Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) Beta topside weighing 3,950-tonnes. The High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) offshore transformer station topside was built for the Dutch-German transmission grid operator Tennet, and is on its way to Europe onboard the Boskalis’ heavy transport vessel Mighty Servant 3.

Pioneering Spirit will also lift the 25,000-tonne P2 platform built by Aibel for Equinor. As soon as the weather permits, the platform will be towed to Digernessundet where Pioneering Spirit will lift the platform off the barge and bring the giant to the Johan Sverdrup field 140 kilometres west of Stavanger.

The vessel has received a new jacket lift system (JLS) that will enable it to lift and transporting the largest supporting structures. During February, Allseas initiated the testing and commissioning phase for the Pioneering Spirit’s JLS. In-harbour trials include raising and lowering the 170-metre lifting beams individually and, when connected, simultaneously. This enables Allseas‘ engineers to calibrate load measurements and verify the control modes and safety systems.

However, what has been dubbed as the record-breaking season for the heavy lift behemoth, Allseas requires a large number of custom-engineered lifting tools to be produced. The company has ramped up production of these tools at its Allseas Fabrication in Heijningen. The fabrication yard is producing project-critical items that further optimise speed and efficiency of the company’s pioneering single-lift capabilities.

Single-lift significantly reduces work offshore, moving it onshore where it’s safer and cleaner. Less time in the field means a lower emissions footprint. Allseas doesn’t just look at opportunities in current markets, but it pioneers technology that enables future and emerging industries. Due to the rise in production demand for project-critical equipment, the company is also looking to expand its workforce at the Heijningen fabrication yard.