Disassembling the topsides of offshore platforms has, in the past, meant workers manually separating the structure into individual parts whilst at sea, an activity both time consuming and hazardous.
However the Pieter Schelte, a new vessel from the Allseas Group, will completely lift the tops off platforms with a weight of up to 48,000 tonnes. Liberated from their steel ‘jacket’, the ship will transport them onto land, making the process much safer and more cost effective.
The topside lifting system (TLS) for the world’s largest offshore mobile lifting mechanism relies on a drive and control system developed by Bosch Rexroth.
The challenge of creating a drive and control solution lies at the heart of the project, as it is the foundation for all of the ship’s functions. An international team made of industry specialists and technology experts worked on the project, based on the principles as provided by Allseas. “No comparable system has ever been created before, making this an exciting task, even for our experienced engineers”, said Allseas project manager Ron van den Oetelaar.
The company owned software takes both mechanical strengths as well as specific hydraulic characteristics into consideration. In addition to engineering products and services, Rexroth also supplied the five megawatt central hydraulic power unit as well as numerous key components and sub-assemblies for the TLS.
Pieter Schelte is currently being built in South Korea and is set to begin disassembling its first offshore platforms in early 2014.
