Heavy Lift News

Seatrium has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Japan-based Penta-Ocean Construction (POC) to carry out early engineering work for a 5,000t fully-revolving heavy lift vessel project for the Japan wind market.Subject to the final investment decision by POC, the full EPC contract award is expected in 1Q 2025.POC owns a range of self-propelling trailing suction hopper and cutter suction dredgers for marine construction works as well as two turbine installation vessels equipped with a 800t and a 1,600t lifting capacity crane respectively.

Two mechanical sails have been installed on board Jumbo's heavy lift vessel (HLV) Jumbo Jubilee. The wind assisted ship propulsion (WASP) solution is the latest in a series of innovative technologies installed to the vessel in a bid to boost fuel efficiency and cut carbon.Jumbo is committed to advancing sustainable heavy-lift shipping with innovative energy-saving and decarbonization initiatives across its fleet, said Jumbo Maritime CEO Daan Kornneef.“At Jumbo, we believe that every step towards sustainability is crucial.

Heavy lift and transport services firm Mammoet has launched the SK6000 land-based crane, said to be the world’s strongest, capable of handling large offshore wind components and delivering reduced integration times to offshore oil and gas projects.The 6,000t capacity of the SK6000 crane enables faster construction methodologies across the energy sector, according to Mammoet.The SK6000 is expected to have a major role in offshore wind, where fast growth of components in recent years has led to supply chain issues.

Hamburg-based heavy lift shipping company United Heavy Lift held a naming ceremony for its newest heavy lift ship, UHL Fable.Built at the CSSC Hudong shipyard in Shanghai over a relatively short period of time, the newbuild is the 19th and final vessel in United Heavy Lift's F900 Eco-Lifter series. The construction time from keel laying in July 2023 to delivery to the German bridge crew led by Captain Karsten Strotmann and his first officer Pit Awe in April 2024 was just nine months.Measuring about 150 meters long…

AAL Hamburg, the second of eight Super B-Class heavy lift series being built for AAL Shipping has been named during a formal ceremony at the CSSC Huangpu-Wenchong Shipyard in Guangzhou, China. The newbuild will soon be delivered and commence a busy maiden voyage to Europe.The 32,000 dwt, dual fuel multipurpose heavy lift vessel is equipped with three heavy lift port side cranes (350 tonnes capacity each and 700 tonnes maximum lift) as well as the latest innovation from the AAL Engineering Team, the ‘AAL ECO-DECK’.

AAL Shipping has added an additional two ships to its order of six 32,000dwt heavy lift Super B-Class vessels.The order was signed by AAL and Schoeller Holdings’ Founder & Chairman, Heinrich Schoeller, at the recent naming ceremony of AAL Limassol at the CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Company in the Chinese province of Guangdong.The two additional vessels, to be named the AAL Newcastle and AAL Mumbai will each feature an increased maximum heavy lift capability of 800 tonnes…

Van Oord’s Svanen vessel has received a major upgrade which increased its total height to 125 meters, making it one of the largest heavy-lift vessels in the world suitable for handling the next generation of monopile foundations for offshore wind.Svanen grew 25 meters taller with the installation of an A-framed gantry extension, weighing 1,200 tonnes, on top of the vessel.The extension had been constructed by Holland Shipyard. One of the largest cranes in the world was used for the installation at Mammoet Schiedam.Besides the gantry extension…

A formal naming ceremony was held at the CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Company in the Chinese province of Quanzhou on April 26 for AAL Shipping’s new heavy lift vessel, AAL Limassol.Due to sail on her maiden voyage from China into Europe, the 32,000 deadweight AAL Limassol is set to carry a full weather deck of project heavy lift cargo, including two 135-meter-long barges, weighing 1,650 tonnes and fifteen 80.5-meter-long wind blades. The newbuild will sail under the Cyprus flag.Kyriacos Panayides…

The end may be in sight, but the race for bigger cranes is still having an impact on offshore wind project efficiency.The industry has already felt the need for upgrading crane lifting capacity on existing offshore wind installation vessels: NOV is upgrading the cranes on Cadeler’s existing O-class wind turbine installation vessels (WTIVs), and a gantry crane extension will soon make Van Oord’s Svanen one of the largest floating heavy-lift installation vessels.It’s a newbuild phenomenon too. NOV has developed a telescoping leg encircling crane for Shimizu’s GustoMSC-designed WTIV Blue Wind.

Partners CY Shipping and BigLift Shipping have ordered two new heavy transport vessels (HTVs), increasing their HTV fleet to six vessels.The first vessel, owned by CY Shipping will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2025, while the second vessel, owned by BigLift Shipping, is schedule for delivery in second quarter of 2026.Newbuilding contracts for the two new HTVs have been signed with Jing Jiang Nanyang Shipbuilding in China. The vessels, jointly designed by CY Shipping and BigLift Shipping…

Van Oord has been contracted for the construction of the Baltica 2 Offshore Wind Farm, developed by Ørsted and PGE. The wind farm is located 40 kilometres offshore in the Polish area of the Baltic Sea.Van Oord will transport and install 111 extended monopiles, of which 107 will serve as foundations for wind turbines and the other four as foundations for offshore substations.Van Oord will deploy offshore installation vessel Aeolus and heavy-lift installation vessel Svanen on the project. The Svanen will undergo a major upgrade this year.

Jumbo Offshore has been awarded a contract by Yunneg Wind Power Co. (YWPC) for the removal of monopiles at the Yunlin Offshore Wind Farm in Taiwan.The contract award represents an expansion of the company’s existing scope, which has involved transport and installation of the project’s transition pieces.Under the amendment, some monopiles, which were installed during an earlier project phase, are to be removed approximately 3m below mean seabed level. To undertake this scope, Jumbo…

Dutch heave compensation specialist Seaqualize executed the world’s first offshore transfer lifts of wind turbine components from a heaving supply vessel.The company’s newly developed offshore lifting device, the Heave Chief 1100, is being deployed by DEME Offshore US to instal the first turbines at Vineyard Wind together with the feeder barge solution developed by DEME Offshore US, with partners Barge Master, Foss Maritime and Seaqualize, and the operators and equipment from…

Van Oord has been awarded two new offshore wind projects: Baltic Power in the Baltic Sea and Greater Changhua 2b and 4 in Taiwan. The contracts have a combined value of more than EUR 500 million. Once operational, the two offshore wind farms will deliver renewable energy to approximately 2.5 million households.The Baltic Power offshore wind farm is being developed by a joint venture between ORLEN (Poland) and Northland Power (Canada). The wind farm will be located in the Polish Exclusive Economic Zone of the Baltic Sea, 23 kilometers from shore.

SAL Heavy Lift said Friday it had chartered two modern semi-submersible deck carriers, the “Zhong Ren 121” and “Zhong Ren 122” on a long-term basis together with its partner Shanghai Salvage (China). "Both ships will be delivered in Shanghai between December 2023 and February 2024 and marketed through the Jumbo-SAL Alliance," Sal Heavy Lift said.“We don’t use the term ‘milestone’ lightly – but, in this case, it’s more than appropriate. This project is extremely important to us as a group, both commercially and strategically,” says Dr Martin Harren, CEO of SAL Heavy Lift and the Harren Group.

The new Orca Class heavy-lift vessels being built at China's Wuhu Shipyard for the Jumbo-SAL-Alliance will be propelled by SCHOTTEL ControllablePropellers (SCP).The four-bladed controllable pitch propellers type SCP 129 will feature an input power of up to 8,810 kW and a propeller diameter of six meters.Jumbo-SAL-Alliance is a commercial joint venture between German shipping company SAL Heavy Lift and Netherlands-based Jumbo Shipping. Their new Orca Class, which includes four firm and two optional vessels…

Offshore wind turbines are reaching new heights both literally (meters), and figuratively (megawatts). As the demand for larger turbines surges, so do the challenges faced by offshore installation contractors, which need to come up with bigger vessels, and, consequentially, bigger cranes for those vessels.When I took on the assignment to produce a piece focusing on heavy-lifting cranes and deck machinery for OE, I immediately thought of Huisman as a company best suited for coverage in this space…

The US Port of Savannah has taken delivery of four Super Post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes, upgrading the crane fleet to 34 machines at Garden City Terminal after four older cranes are retired and recycled.Along with the completion of our project to improve Berth 1, these cranes will help deliver faster turn times to our ocean carrier customers, including the largest vessels calling on the U.S. East Coast, said Griff Lynch, Georgia Ports Authority president and CEO. “No other terminal in the nation can bring more cranes to bear…

Elisabeth Cosmatos, Managing Director of Cosmatos Group, has been elected President of The Heavy Lift Group (THLG), an international association for specialised heavy transport companies.The appointment was made as part of the executive committee election during the 68th THLG Conference on June 5.Taking over from FOX Brasil’s Murilo Caldana, Cosmatos becomes THLG’s first female president. She is joined on the executive committee by Rhenus Projects’ Colin d’Abreo, Alessio Bianchi of DCS Liburnus…

AAL Shipping has released a short film highlighting the design of its mega size 32,000dwt Super B-Class heavy lift vessels. The first, the AAL Limassol, is expected to be launched next year.The Super B-Class design was a collaboration between AAL’s engineering and commercial teams and sister company, Columbia Shipmanagement (CSM). The vessels were designed to be the most efficient and competent multi-purpose vessels (MPVs) available, built on the engineering team’s expertise in handling heavy lift…

China's WuHu Shipyard has cut the first steel for an Orca series heavy lift vessel being built for an alliance between SAL Heavy Lift GmbH and Jumbo Shipping.Back in September 2022, SAL and Jumbo said they had signed building contracts for four firms plus two optional new-generation heavy lift ships with Wuhu Shipyard."After a long and extensive planning phase, our Orca newbuilding series has finally kicked off! On 22 February, the ceremonial first steel cutting was conducted at WuHu Shipyard in Wuhu, China," the Dutch heavy lifting and transportation firm Jumbo said Tuesday.

Finland-based marine engine and technology provider Wärtsilä will supply its hybrid propulsion system for four new heavy lift vessels being built at the Wuhu Shipyard in China. The ships are set to be delivered in 2025, and they will mostly be used to help set up wind farms. The vessels have been contracted by SAL Heavy Lift GmbH, a German heavy lift and project cargo specialist and part of the Harren Group, in cooperation with its joint-venture partner, Netherlands-based Jumbo Shipping.

AAL Shipping has added further vessels to its owned multipurpose cargo vessel (MPV) fleet. This month saw the delivery of the 2010 AAL Gunsan (ex-BBC America) and her sister vessel, the 2009 AAL Geelong (ex-BBC Valparaiso) – the latter taken a few months ago. These are the last of four 25,800 deadweight (DWT) multipurpose heavy lift sister vessels (classified by AAL as G-class) secured through an acquisition transaction penned back in 2021 by AAL / Schoeller Holdings Group.During the summer…