Balder got a midlife modernisation with dynamic positioning (DP) upgrade and a pipelay tower, but Hermod remained a straight crane unit operating on its anchor mooring system for positioning offshore. A trend that still continues today.Īfter some years, both Hermod and Balder got substantial crane capacity upgrades to keep up with the growing competition and market demand. Heerema dominated the North Sea construction market for years with their pioneering twins, until larger capacity units relieved the lead. Sister crane vessel Balder (left) is mobilising for its first job. Their large square decks and tandem lift capability made them eminently suitable for the installation of the largest offshore platforms of the time.įrom the Heerema archive: SSCV Hermod (right) with a virgin deck upon arrival in Rotterdam Verolme Botlek harbour, 1978. Soon after arrival in Europe, the new semis started working on the North Sea, where they could operate in a longer than hitherto achievable construction season thanks to their better motion behaviour in adverse weather than their predecessors and competitors. By Heerema tradition, all new fleet additions are christened with Nordic god names. The new twin sisters were named Balder and Hermod. This proved to be a masterstroke in the offshore heavy lift market, until then dominated by lone monohulls with single cranes of medium capacity. Hence, he decided to have two units built instead of one. Heerema got a very favourable quote from the Japanese shipyard Mitsui for a novel type of semi-submersible crane vessel with two high-end revolving Gusto cranes. Heerema’s semi-sub crane vessel Hermod was positioned above Dockwise’s flagship carrier Vanguard for its last sea voyage. It was a most unusual sight, even for seasoned ship spotters in Rotterdam Alexia harbour: A crippled, rusty twin-crane behemoth rising above bright coloured box-shaped steel islands. Among the latter is the following article describing how Heerema Marine Contractors had its crane giant Hermod recycled in China. SWZ|Maritime’s July-August issue looks at various aspects of ship recycling, including the different methods of recycling, the market players, the stakeholders, the legal aspects and case studies of significant ships recycled recently. The whole time a dedicated project manager was in charge of the Hermod recycling operation to ensure that it was done in a responsible manner. They selected a Chinese recycling yard, organised the final sea voyage and supervised the recycling process. Heerema took the decision to retire renowned Hermod from its fleet after almost four decades of service to the offshore industry.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |