Van Oord orders Huisman crane for installation vessel

Van Oord has contracted Huisman to supply a leg encircling crane (LEC) for its new offshore installation vessel.

According to Huisman, this will be the largest LEC it has developed to date in terms of lifting capacity, boom length, installed power, and technical features.

The company said the LEC’s lightweight and robust design, high level of reliability, and limited tail swing makes it highly suitable for the construction of offshore wind farms. Thanks to its fully electrically driven system, the crane has a low energy consumption and will contribute to the reduced CO₂ footprint of Van Oord’s new offshore installation vessel.

The work scope consists of the design, engineering, and construction of the crane at its production facility in Zhangzhou, China. Delivery is scheduled for 2023. The crane will be delivered and integrated in close cooperation with the vessel’s designer Knud E Hansen at Yantai CIMC Raffles Shipyard in China.

Features and benefits of the Huisman LEC include:

• A fully electrically driven system results in high positioning accuracy, reduced maintenance, and high reliability

• Its energy grid is said to reduce the energy consumption of the crane significantly

• In-house developed slew bearing system provides highly reliable and accurate positioning of the crane

• The boom’s unique design makes it stiff and lighter in weight

• Stiff construction of the boom leads to reduced motion at the crane tip

• Small tail swing allows for optimised use of free deck space

Source: Offshore Magazine