10/04/2023

Rotterdam skyline greets one of the world’s largest cranes for offshore wind vessel project

Mammoet has completed the assembly of its PTC210-DS ring crane, one of the largest in its fleet, in Rotterdam for a heavy-lift project for GustoMSC.

Image: Mammoet

The colossal 210,000tm crane, which has a maximum lift capacity of 3,200t, will be used to perform crane replacements on two offshore wind installation jack-up vessels (Wind Orca and Wind Osprey) for the shipping/construction company Cadeler. Cadeler emphasizes the strategic importance of these crane replacement projects to solidify their position as a key supplier in the offshore wind sector. Erected in Mammoet’s own yard in Schiedam, Netherlands, the Mammoet PTC210-DS is one of five 5,000t class ring cranes in its fleet, and the only one currently operating in Europe.

One of the largest cranes in the world, the height and size of the PTC210-DS belie its greatest strengths – its versatility and ability to operate in areas where space is limited.

Dirk Knoester, Senior Adviser at Mammoet, said: “The PTC210-DS is the perfect crane for this job. It has a relatively small footprint combined with 360-degree slewing, and the possibility to switch between fixed and luffing jib mode (as only the PTCs can) resulting in the largest possible working area. These PTC cranes can also be assembled in numerous configurations and thus a tailor-made configuration is feasible for any job: different mainboom and jib lengths, fixed or luffing jib, different amounts of counterweight, and two ring diameters.”

The PTC210-DS will be used to remove the existing leg cranes from both jack-up vessels and replace them with new GustoMSC high-capacity ones. GustoMSC has been contracted by Cadeler to design, fabricate, deliver, and install the cranes.

The new leg cranes are fully electric driven and have a 1,600t lifting capacity, making them ready to install and service next-generation wind turbines with capacity ratings exceeding 14MW.

Remco Zandstra, Senior Commercial Manager at Mammoet, said: “The decision to have the PTC210-DS constructed in our own yard in Schiedam was driven by safety and optimizing the schedule for our client. Our yard has a unique location in the port of Rotterdam, and this gave us the possibility to position the crane between the two vessels and serve them at the same time. Not only does this save considerable time, by minimizing movements of cranes in the yard and vessels along the quay, it also creates the safest possible solution to perform this project.”

The replacement work on Wind Orca and Wind Osprey is scheduled to commence in Q3/2023 and is expected to be completed by Q1/2024. With GustoMSC and Mammoet neighbors, this project marks a unique collaboration in Schiedam and a great opportunity for their engineers to witness it live from their offices.