Servicing NAM/Shell gas production platforms- T40 Crane
Project Specifications
Case specifications
Over the past 40 years, offshore platforms have become smaller and more flexible, leading to the removal of components including helicopter pads and resident crew, requiring frequent journeys to the platforms for maintenance work.
Shell/NAM commissioned a new Walk to Work vessel to conduct these maintenance operations in a safer and more effective manner. The vessel, the Kroonborg, designed by Royal Niestern Sander, can accommodate 20 crew members and 40 service technicians, and allows for the safe storage of chemicals.
Because the Kroonborg is frequently working offshore in the North Sea, it faces operational limits due to adverse sea states. This affects the lifting of maintenance equipment that must be transferred onto the platforms. Higher sea states lower the precision and safety of using cranes offshore, greatly reducing the lift windows for maintenance equipment. This significantly limits operational uptime, which in turn poses a problem for Shell/NAM who must perform maintenance year-round.
Our Solution
We proposed installing the T40 crane on the Kroonborg. This solution compensates for significant wave heights of up to Hs 3m, in wave periods of 4-18 seconds. The T40 provided a 95% workability increase for this project.
This motion compensation system uses three vertically mounted hydraulic cylinders to counteract the heave, roll, and pitch motions of the vessel. The system compensates at the base of the crane, allowing for the operator cabin to also be kept stable. This ensures safe and precise offshore lifting.
Shell/NAM permanently installed the T40 Crane on the Kroonborg, allowing the vessel to operate safe lifts for 330 days of the year. Through utilising new technology, NAM is able to safely continue extracting gas in the North Sea with an extended weather window and reduced downtime.
