Pioneering Spirit, Crane Ship, IMO: 9593505
Pioneering Spirit (formerly Pieter Schelte) is a catamaran crane vessel owned by the Switzerland-based Allseas Group designed for the single-lift installation and removal of large oil and gas platforms and the installation of record-weight pipelines. The 382-metre-long (1,253 ft), 124-metre-wide (407 ft) vessel is the world's largest vessel by gross tonnage, the heaviest vehicle ever made and since September 2021 also the largest floating sheerleg in the world. It was built in South Korea by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (now Hanwha Ocean) in 2013 at a cost of €2.6 billion. It commenced offshore operations in August 2016.
Development
The initial concept, by Allseas technical director W.P. Kaldenbach, was of a vessel capable of lifting entire platforms, and in 1987 Allseas declared its intention to build it. The initial idea featured two rigidly connected, self-propelled supertankers, with a large slot at the bows enabling it to install platform topsides in one piece. Early designs featured a flotation and ballasting system and active motion compensation system to facilitate a controlled transfer of a topsides' weight from the vessel to a platform substructure. Allseas developed the original idea to include steel jacket installation, jackets and topsides removal and rigid pipelay capabilities.
The emphasis switched from the conversion of two existing tankers to a new-build hull in 2004, though retaining the catamaran concept. The decision was prompted by a lack of suitable vessels to convert, the lower costs associated with a new-build, and the need to house sophisticated equipment - such as a dynamic positioning system - in the hull.
In 2007, twenty years after the idea was first conceived, Allseas announced plans to build the Pieter Schelte, a twin-hulled platform installation / decommissioning and pipelay vessel. Named after the offshore pioneer Pieter Schelte Heerema, the father of Allseas' owner Edward Heerema, the design featured a lifting system at its bows for lifting platform topsides up to 48,000 tonnes (53,000 short tons) and a lifting system at its stern for lifting steel jackets up to 25,000 tonnes (28,000 short tons). The design also included pipelay equipment to handle pipe diameters ranging from 15-175 cm (6-68 inches) at water depths exceeding 4,000 m (13,000 ft).
Construction
Allseas placed orders for machinery, including generators and thrusters, in 2007, and for the high-tensile steel for the lifting systems in 2008.After the global financial crisis weakened funding, the company was forced to postpone the building schedule and as a result delayed the awarding of the hull construction contract. Finnish engineering company Deltamarin performed detail engineering in 2009.
Allseas eventually was able to sign the main construction contract in June 2010 with South Korean shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd. Midway through the build, Allseas decided to widen the ship by 6.75 m (22.1 ft) in order to increase the clearance between the bows and the legs of large platforms. As a result, the overall width increased from 117 to 124 m (384 to 407 ft), and the slot width from 52 to 59 m (171 to 194 ft).
Pioneering Spirit departed Daewoo in November 2014 and arrived at the Maasvlakte 2, Port of Rotterdam, for completion and commissioning, on January 8, 2015. After the topside lifting system was installed, she left Rotterdam on 6 August 2016.
Detail at bow, showing new name Pioneering Spirit just below obscured original name Pieter Schelte
The original name caused controversy due to Pieter Schelte Heerema's service in the Waffen-SS during World War II. As a result, in February 2015, Allseas announced that the vessel's name would be changed to Pioneering Spirit.
Pioneering Spirit is the world's largest vessel, in terms of her gross tonnage (403,342 gt), breadth (123.75 m or 406 ft), and displacement (1,000,000 tonnes or 980,000 long tons). The maximum 48,000-tonne (53,000-short-ton) topside lift capacity is achieved by operating as a semi-submersible. For removal of topsides, the vessel straddles the intended payload with the slot formed by the twin bows. The slot measures 122 m × 59 m (400 ft × 194 ft) (L×W). After straddling the payload, Pioneering Spirit takes on ballast to lower, and two sets of eight (one set per bow) retractable motion-compensated horizontal lifting beams are extended under the payload. Once the load is secure, the vessel offloads the ballast, rising in the water and partially transferring the load to the beams. In the final stage a fast lift system is used that lifts the payload up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) in 15 s.
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