Matador 3 delivers 400t crane to Leviathan
A new, custom built 400 ton boom hoist offshore pedestal crane was recently shipped from its construction quay in Zaandam to Amsterdam for installation onboard Seajacks’ jack-up vessel Leviathan.
The Kenz crane was transported in one piece by the Matador 3, the biggest floating sheerlegs in the Netherlands. Jacky Zijlstra of Kenz explained that the operation started at 06.00 in Zaandam and, after dismantling the slew bearing, the whole crane had to be lifted by the sheerlegs in one piece. “With a boom length of over 75m, it’s actually a very big job, even though the distance the Matador 3 had to cover isn’t huge”, she said.
As an aside, the Matador 3 itself was upgraded at the end of last year, bringing the capacity of its A-frame up from 1,500 tons to 1,800 tons. This was done by dismantling the fly jib and repositioning four fly jib top blocks (each with a capacity of 450 tons) on the frame.
On arrival in Amsterdam at around mid-day, the sheerlegs had to place itself over the Leviathan, which then lowered the crane very carefully onto its base with only a tolerance of centimetres in order to match up the bolt holes. “It was done in one movement, but very, very slowly, said Ms Zijlstra. “In all, the operation took around 12 hours, finishing at around 18.00pm in the evening.”
The 400 ton pedestal crane with its 78m outreach is custom designed for the installation of offshore wind turbines. Replacing a 300 ton main crane and 100 ton auxiliary crane, it is an upgrade that’s needed with the growing size of the turbines and equipment associated with the renewable energy industry. It is also worthwhile noting that due to special adjustments, the crane gives the Leviathan further capability in shallow water subsea operations for the oil and gas sector.
Other crane associated changes, such as the under-deck vessel strengthening and required electrical modifications, are also being executed under the supervision of Kenz Cranes.
Due to the successful operation and good performance of previous models, Kenz Cranes has been awarded with a repeat project for the newbuild Seajacks jack-up vessel Hydra. This crane is scheduled to be delivered in the second quarter of next year.
