Page 103: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2012)

of the jack-up vessel as the crane must be positioned be- fore the vessel leg. The CAL 64000-1500 Litronic is re- ported to be the first heavy lift offshore crane in the world to date to be built according to this design. The combination of slewing bearing, slewing gear, winches and the Litronic control system, all manufac- tured by Liebherr, enables exact positioning and safe moving of the loads while reducing fuel consumption. Together with the powerful 4,000 kW electro-hydraulic drive this provides optimum control in all operating con- ditions. Moreover, in the crane?s design stage special at- tention was paid to ease of maintenance. The CAL 64000-1500 Litronic will first be used for the installation of offshore wind power stations in the North Sea wind park Global Tech I. The crane?s enor- mous lifting capacity of up to 1,500 t enables the instal-lation of over 5 MW strong turbines and rotors as well as the loading and subsequent safe installation of theheaviest foundations down to a maximum water depth of 50 m. This reduces set-up times and so contributes to increased productivity. Offshore Mooring Lines While winches and cranes take much of the stress off- shore on rigs and vessels, the line their pulling is also a major consideration in ensuring safe and efficient ops. Long considered an expensive alternative to traditional steel wire and conventional polyester-based synthetic ropes, offshore ropes and mooring systems made with Dyneema fibers have been making inroads in recent years. Companies such as ConocoPhillips, Shell andPetrobras are selecting to work with systems based on the ultra high strength at low weight fiber of DSM Dyneema. Coupled with durability and longevity, these rope systems beoming recognized for a variety of per- formance and user benefits. DSM Dyneema?s entry into the offshore industry over 10 years ago met with more troubled waters initially. Manufacturers and users were slow to calculate the value and investment payback that Dyneema offered, with the higher upfront capital in- vestment proving a major barrier to entry. In addition Dyneema fiber supply was occasionally lower due to ca- pacity restrictions in the early days of market commer- cialization. These are no longer issues. Building on its expanding track record of proven success in the offshore industry this perception has changed, and the fiber is now recognized as a choice for the long term, reportedly paying back on the CAPEX investment in a few years. In addition, over the past 10 years DSM has invested significantly to boost capacity in its global plants in order to meet the growing year on year demand as well as anticipated market growth. Most recently the solution received a major feather in its cap courtesy of Brazilian oil giant Petrobras, which specified Dyneema fibers for a complete set of mooring ropes for a semi-submersiblemobile offshore drilling unit (MODU). A New Name in Heavy-lift Projects A new engineering company has opened its doors in Hamburg: HeavyLift@Sea ( www.heavyliftatsea.de )which offers design and planning services for heavy-lift shipping and offshore projects. The 10-person team around founders Lars Rolner and Hendrik Gröne is de-signed to take on projects from designing individual chain hoists to developing special-purpose vessels. Gröne, Managing Director, explains the idea behind the business: ?The number of shipbuilding sites in Germany is decreasing. At the same time, there is a great deal of engineering know-how to be found in the field of design and technology for challenging shipbuilding projects and in the development of highly complex solutions, which, for example, the shipyards in the Far East cannot offer. This know-how needs to be bundled, maintained and supplied to customers like ship owners and builders of offshore plants. And that?s exactly what HeavyLift@Sea does at the well-established shipbuild- ing site in Hamburg.? Gröne (37) is an experienced shipbuilding expert and previously worked, for example, at the Sietas shipyard in Hamburg as Chief Engineer. The engineers, technicians and designers atHeavyLift@Sea prepare individual simulations and cal- culations for their customers to ensure the best possibleproportions and movement in the ship, crane and cargo based on their intended application. They design, for ex- ample, chain hoists such as special cross beams and they supervise the building work at the shipyards. Further- November 2012www.marinelink.com 103Markey for Canadian Super Ice Class Tugs While the offshore market has been a driver for maritime based heavy lifting capability, it certainly is not the only one, and leading company Markey Machinery recently won the order for a complete suite of deck ma- chinery for the most powerful Harbor Class Tugs ever to be built in Canada: the TunDRA 100 tugs, which will be operated by Group Ocean of Quebec, Canada for harbor operations, ship escort services, short and long dis-tance towing, as well as rescue operations and wreck removals. The new tugs will serve needs in ice navigation of the maritime market in Northern Quebec and Canada. The Markey suites of deck machinery will include: Markey Model DESDF-48-200HP Electric Class III Hawser Winch A Split-Drum sized to store up to 300 meters of 10 in. circ. (80mm dia.) soft-line on each side An extra-heavy duty levelwind featuring two rope guides to service each side of mid-flange Render/Recover capable of operation up to full rated line-speeds and line-tension Instrumentation to allow for the display of line-tension, scope, and line speed during ALL modes of operation.Controls including a handheld wireless remote unit, as well as wheelhouse and on-deck stationary control stationsA load shedding feature enabling the winch to automatically reduce power to a predefined limit if the generator becomes too loaded.Markey Model TES-40UL-125HP Electric Single-Drum Towing Winch Drum sized for up to 800 m of 64 mm (2.5 in.) wire rope Enclosed chain-and-diamond-screw automatic level-wind, in oil-bath (spooling gear)Instrumentation to allow for the display of line-tension, scope, and line speed Handheld wireless remote operation using the same control used for Hawser Winch operation, plus dedicated wheelhouse and on-deck stationary control stationsTwo Markey Model VEP-16-40 Electric Vertical Capstan/Windlasses Sized for 26 mm stud link chain On-deck stationary control station ?When we were first approached by Group Ocean over two years ago, the development and coordination of ?Ice Class? standards by the world?s marine rating agencies were in their earliest stages. Group Ocean had never used Markey equipment,? said Scott Kreis, Markey?s Vice President of Sales and project leader for this oppor- tunity, makes special note of the extensive collaborative effort between Group Ocean, Markey, Robert Allan Ltd and Lloyd?s Register. ?Following our standard sales and engineering methodology, we visited Group Ocean?s headquarters, met with their senior management and rode their tugs to gain a better feel for their particular op- erational challenges.? ?We then applied our decades of experience in supplying deck equipment for service in Alaska and oceano- graphic winches for use in Antarctica to satisfy the requirements of both Group Ocean and Lloyd?s Register,? Kreis said. The hull of the TunDRA 100 tug will be reinforced and certified ?1A Super F.S.? by Lloyd?s Regis- ter for ice navigation, and its engines will develop a force of 8,000 BHP, resulting in a total bollard pull of nearly 100 Metric Tons. www.markeymachinery.com MR#11 (98-105):MR Template 11/6/2012 10:13 AM Page 103