Wergeland and PSW to Extend Port Capacity With Huisman Quayside Crane

October 20, 2020 | Maritime | Energy Facts Staff Writer | 2min

The Norwegian Wergeland Group and PSW Group announced that they have signed a Letter of Intent with Huisman for the delivery of a Skyhook quayside crane at the Gulen Industrial Harbour, Norway.

The Skyhook crane has a lifting capacity of 2,600mt in regular configuration as well as a ‘high lift’ mode with a super flyjib, facilitating the assembly of today’s and tomorrow’s offshore wind turbines. The crane will be deployed at the Gulen Industrial Harbour, the base of Wergeland and near PSW Group in Mongstad, providing additional potential for both decommissioning work as well as for outfitting the next generation deepwater semi-submersibles in the port’s 100-metre wide dock.

The location of the harbour, in the west of Norway, adds value to both the ambitions for offshore wind in Norway, and to the ongoing oil and gas developments on the Norwegian continental shelf. With the installation of 11 8MW Siemens Gamesa turbines for Norway’s first floating wind farm ‘Hywind Tampen’, Wergeland will demonstrate that Gulen Industrial Harbour has the potential to become the key assembly location for Norwegian offshore wind projects. The large available area can be used for marshalling wind turbine components as well as foundations. Combined with the unrivalled deepwater port facility, the setup is highly suitable for the assembly of floating wind turbines; even onto long floating spar foundations as a result of the natural advantages of the location. Furthermore, the layout of the area has been optimised for efficient backyard pre-assembly works for regular bottom fixed offshore wind projects.

Trygve Wergeland, CEO at Wergeland Base AS: “Wergeland has the ambition to become the primary assembly site for the growing offshore wind industry. During our preparatory work for ‘Hywind Tampen’ we have seen some of the challenges related to logistics and assembly of large offshore wind turbines. By establishing a crane capacity such as the one we are planning with Huisman and PSW, we will contribute to cost reduction and efficient logistics for clients in the years to come. With this crane capacity, along with the drydock that is currently under construction, we can offer a complete service portfolio together with PSW.”

Oddbjørn Haukøy, CEO at PSW Group: “By entering into this LOI with Wergeland and Huisman, PSW fortifies its position as a leading full spectre service provider to the energy sector. Over the years, PSW has established a long standing cooperation with Wergeland. The new state-of-the-art quayside crane will further strengthen the drydock’s capabilities for its operations in the maritime, drilling, and renewable energy markets.”

With the 2,600mt Skyhook, Huisman has designed and built the largest Slewing Jib Quayside Crane in the world. Recently, Huisman lifted several 1,700mt monopiles for a local wind farm with its Skyhook Crane, based at its facility near Xiamen, P.R. of China. With this lift Huisman demonstrated that the Skyhook is highly suitable for marshalling wind turbine foundations as well as turbine components.

David Roodenburg, CEO at Huisman: “We are proud to team up with Wergeland and PSW to bring Europe’s largest fit-for-purpose quayside crane to the west coast of Norway. With Norway’s focus on connecting its decade-long offshore expertise to today’s drive for clean energy, Huisman sees the installation of the proven Skyhook crane as a key driver to further enable logistic efficiency for Norway’s offshore industry.”

Capacities of the Huisman Skyhook crane:

  • 2,600mt lifting capacity with the Main Hoist
    Lifting height with Super Flyjib: up to 170m above the waterline
  • Features & benefits of the Huisman Skyhook crane:
  • A fully electrically driven system, resulting in reduced maintenance, higher reliability, as well as the potential to provide regenerative electrical power back into the grid.
  • Dual Main Hoist functionality, allowing for large flexibility in rigging setup.
    Limited track loads, thus reducing the foundation cost on quaysides.
  • Optimised counterweight system, thus avoiding excessive wear when only light loads are lifted.
  • Boom Stowage functionality, thus allowing the crane to be placed even in typhoon-sensitive areas.
  • Versions can be tailored to specific local requirements.