Heerema’s Sleipnir, the World’s Biggest Semi-Submersible Crane Vessel

January 26, 2020 | Maritime | Jochem Tacx | 6min

Heerema’s Sleipnir, the world’s biggest semi-submersible crane vessel, was Christened on Friday, 24 May 2019 and has been active ever since

Sleipnir ballasted down to 32 meters draft during sea trials, getting ready to mobilize to her first job

Sleipnir ballasted down to 32 meters draft during sea trials, getting ready to mobilize to her first job

Named after the Norse God Odin’s eight-legged stallion, and newly completed at Sembcorp Marine’s Tuas Boulevard Yard, SSCV Sleipnir has a 220-metre by 102-metre reinforced deck area, making it the largest crane vessel to be built. With two 10,000-tonne revolving cranes it can lift loads of up to 20,000 tonnes in tandem, making it the only existing crane vessel with this capability. Operational tests were carried out successfully with loads of 11,000 tonnes per crane (110% of its capacity) and the cranes passed the tests with flying colors.

Heerema’s Sleipnir, the World’s Biggest Semi-Submersible Crane Vessel-110% load test

110% load test

Sleipnir can accommodate 400 persons and is deployed globally for installing and removing jackets, topsides, deep-water foundations, moorings and other offshore structures.

With its single-lift capability catering to larger integrated structures than previously possible, Sleipnir will minimise offshore assembly work and raise operational efficiency to a new level, while not compromising the flexibility and robustness of traditional installation methodologies.

The vessel further stands out as the world’s first crane vessel with dual-fuel engines running on Marine Gas Oil (MGO) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Coupled with an IMO- and US Coast Guard-approved ballast water management system, Sleipnir operates sustainably across all environmental jurisdictions.

Check out the below video below for a helicopter and inside view of this amazing vessel:

Projects
In the last 7 months, Sleipnir has been involved in various projects, including:

  • Leviathan Natural Gas Project. The largest energy project in the history of the State of Israel.

During this project Heerema’s SSCV Sleipnir set a new world record, completing a 15,300 tonnes lift, installing the topsides for Noble Energy’s Leviathan development in the Mediterranean. Lifting a module of 15,300 tonnes was never done by a crane vessel before. Sleipnir was contracted to install a total of 38,000-ton of operational units.

  • The Peregrino Project. The Peregrino field —in the Campos Basin— is Equinor’s most important project in Brazil and their largest international endeavour as an operator.

Heerema’s SSCV Sleipnir installed the jacket for the new Peregrino C platform. The jacket was built by Heerema fabrication Yard in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, weighing 9,200 tonnes, 135 meters tall with a footprint of 65X65 metres.

After the successful installation of the jacket, Sleipnir safely executed the installation of the topsides, including he main support frame and the living quarters.

More information regarding the specifications of the Sleipnir can be found at: hmc.heerema.com/fleet/sleipnir/