Pioneering spirit

Pioneering spirit

The Pieter scolding before Rotterdam

Ship data flag  Panama Malta   other ship names Pieter Schelte (until 2015) Ship type Work ship Callsign 9HA4112 home port Panama Valletta Owner Pieter Schelte NV Allseas Group, Châtel-Saint-Denis Shipping company Allseas Engineering, Delft Shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering , Okpo Build number 3401 building-costs $ 3 billion Order June 2010 Keel laying December 14, 2011 Launch January 26, 2013 takeover 17th November 2014 Whereabouts In motion

Ship dimensions and crew length 382.0 m ( Lüa ) 370.0 m ( Lpp ) width 123.75 m Draft Max. 27.0 m measurement 403,342 GT   crew 571

Machine system machine diesel-electric Top speed 14 kn (26 km / h) Energy supply MAN Diesel & Turbo: 8 × 20V 32 / 44CR 1 × 9L 32 / 44CR Generator power 94,460 kW (128,430 hp) propeller 12 × propeller pods

Transport capacities Load capacity 50,000 dw

Furnishing Laying method S-Lay (up to 2,000 t) Pipe diameter 6-68 in Welding stations 7 × pipeline preparation 6 × laying operations Lifting capacity for "jackets" or "topsides" 25,000 t or 48,000 t Dynamic positioning Class 3, multiple redundant

Others Classifications Lloyd's Register of Shipping Registration numbers IMO no. 9593505

The Pioneering Spirit ( Pieter Schelte until the beginning of 2015 ) is a heavy lift and pipeline-laying work ship from the Swiss offshore service provider Allseas . The ship is the world's largest work ship and also the largest ship ever built in terms of gross tonnage and width. The ship replaced the Solitaire as the world's largest and most powerful pipelayer . The total cost of the ship is estimated at $ 3 billion.

History and background

The main purpose of the ship is the installation and dismantling of very large components in the offshore industry. With its lifting capacity of up to 48,000 tons, it can uninstall even the heaviest upper parts of drilling platforms , the so-called "integrated decks", in one piece. There are currently over 600 drilling platforms in the North Sea; the majority of them are to be dismantled again after the end of their useful life by 2040.

Allseas began planning the ship as early as 1987. The concept at that time envisaged the connection of two super tankers (VLCC, Very Large Crude Carrier). In 1999 Excalibur Engineering was founded with the aim of further developing the concept of the then Pieter Schelte . With the complete overhaul of the concept in 2004, the length increased to 360 meters. With the changes in 2007, which included the use of a tipping device instead of gantry cranes, and a further extension of the hulls to 384 m in 2008, the planning phase was completed.

The design for the hull was completed in May 2010 and in June 2010 the South Korean shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) received the construction contract. The order value to DSME was given as 454.5 million euros.

Allseas had ordered the drives, the power generation systems and the dynamic positioning system (DPS) three years earlier . In 2008, the high-strength steel for the lifting system for the "Jackets" and "Topsides" was ordered. The lifting mechanism and the pipeline laying system should be ordered in autumn 2010.

Double bow

The starboard and port sides of the ship were keeled separately from one another. Only after the launch of the two parts were joined to the actual hull. The entire hull is reduced at one end to about ¹ ⁄ _{3 of} its length in a catamaran-like manner to two side hulls, each ² ⁄ _{7 of} the extremely large overall width wide. This creates a slot-shaped bay in which an oil rig or a pipeline running into the water can be accommodated. The structure with a bridge in the middle third of the ship's length only extends from one side of the ship to a little less than the central axis of the ship and leaves space there for the assembly of a pipeline.

Stern view of the ship

The schedule for the ship was for completion in early 2014 and the first operational offshore deployment in late 2014. In August 2014 the transfer of the shell to Rotterdam was announced for the end of 2014. The ship left the shipyard in South Korea on November 17, 2014 and had been in Maasvlakte 2 in the Prinses Alexiahaven in Rotterdam for final equipment since January 8, 2015 . According to the original plan, up to 1,500 workers should be employed there for around four months. The installation of the lifting mechanism delayed the final commissioning.

The first operation was the dismantling of the YME 9/2 production platform in the North Sea off Norway in August 2016 and its removal to Lutelandet .

From the end of 2018, it was one of several ships laying the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea. The work was canceled in December 2019 due to sanctions threats from the US.

Technology and equipment

Drive and dynamic positioning

The Pioneering Spirit was built with a diesel-electric drive . The electricity for the twelve azimuth thruster of Rolls-Royce and the ship's power take nine diesel engines Series 32/44 CR with common rail of MAN Diesel & Turbo (MAN Augsburg). Eight 20-cylinder V-engines of the type 20V32 / 44CR and one 9-cylinder in-line engine of the type 9L32 / 44CR are used . The engines with a total of 169 cylinders generate a total output of 94.6  megawatts (MW). The order value for the engines was around 25 million euros. The maximum speed of the ship is 14 knots.

Lifting equipment

Topsite lifting device

The Pioneering Spirit can lift loads of up to 48,000 tons with the help of eight hydraulic lifting arms, each consisting of two individual arms. The 6.4 meter high and 64 meter long girders supplied by Cimolai, each weighing 1,600 t, are mounted horizontally on rails. The lift arms are used to place and dismantle offshore platforms.

Jacket lifting device

Is a device under construction by Cimolai for the recovery of jackets (substructure of drilling and living platforms). The two 175-meter-long crane arms are movably mounted on the aft deck of the Pioneering Spirit (they can be moved sideways and tilted from the horizontal to the vertical). These have a lifting capacity of 25,000 tons in tandem lift.

Crane equipment

The lifting equipment mentioned above is joined by a total of 5 cranes with lifting equipment of: 1 × 5000 tons Huisman, 1 × 600 tons and 3 ZPMC transfer cranes , each with a lifting capacity of 50 tons. The 5000 ton crane has been installed partly in Kristiansand and Rotterdam. Of which 3 parts from the Huisman Equipment factory in China were transported once by the Allseas Fortitude Ex Toisa Patroklos to Rotterdam (crane base) and installed there by the Fortitude on the Pioneering Spirit. The crane house and the A frame were transported from China to Rotterdam by the transport ship BigLift Barentsz. Here it was loaded onto the Fortitude and installed in Rotterdam on the Pioneering Spirit. The crane boom was manufactured by Huisman Rotterdam and transported to Kristiansand by barge and tug, which was then installed on the Pioneering Spirit by the Rambitz floating crane .

Pipeline laying equipment

The Pioneering Spirit uses the S-Lay method to lay the pipelines . The welded pipeline is laid over the supporting “stinger” in an S-shaped double arch on the bottom of the sea. The stinger is 150m long and 65m wide and weighs 4,200 tons.

The preparation and processing of the pipeline segments is highly mechanized: First, the "single joints", that is, individual segments with a length of 40  feet (approx. 12.2 m), are welded to form "double joints". These double joints are in turn welded together to form what are known as “quadruple joints” with a length of 160 feet (around 48.8 m). For the preparation of the pipeline, seven welding stations will be available, which will be equipped with the “Phönix” automated welding system developed by Allseas. In the “Fire Line”, these segments are welded to form a pipeline. Six welding stations are provided for this, which are supplemented by stations for radiographic testing and stations for surface coating to increase corrosion protection . The Pioneering Spirit will be able to process pipelines up to a total diameter of 68  inches (around 1727 mm).

The laying performance possible with the Pioneering Spirit is considerably greater than that of the Solitaire; the capacity of the four “tensioners” - a kind of caterpillar-shaped retaining clip - is said to be 2000 t. The Solitaire , which held the record for the greatest laying depth of 2775 m in 2009, has a total capacity of 1050 t. In addition, up to 27,000 t of pipelines can be stored on board the Pioneering Spirit .

Ballast tank ballast pumping system

In order to be able to install and uninstall the upper parts of offshore platforms in one piece, the lifting beams of the Pioneering Spirit work together with a dynamic positioning system and the huge ballast tank system with a capacity of 750,000 tons. There are four pump rooms connected to 87 ballast tanks, the largest of which has a capacity of 15,700m³. This corresponds to the capacity of the ballast tanks of a normal ship. The other 86 ballast tanks each have a volume of 8,720.75 m³. The pumping capacity of the ballast tank pumps is 37,000 m³ / h. There are also four quick-drop tanks.

Controversy over the ship's name

New (and old) lettering on the bow

The ship was initially named after the shipbuilding engineer Pieter Schelte Heerema , who is considered one of the pioneers of the offshore industry. He was the father of the owner of Allseas Edward Heerema . This choice of name led to a controversy, especially in the Netherlands, as Pieter Schelte Heerema was temporarily a member of the Waffen-SS during World War II . However, he deserted and supported the Dutch resistance movement from August 1943 to March 1944 . He was arrested in Switzerland after the war, convicted and released early from prison in recognition of his services in the resistance. Then he went to Venezuela, got a foothold in the offshore industry and developed numerous new techniques. In February 2015, the ship was renamed Pioneering Spirit .

Overview of known, completed & canceled projects

Project	Client	Job name	Scope of order	Order / installation country	was standing	URL (source)
Test platform K13 field	Allseas	(OAT) Offshore Acceptance Tests	5,500 t	Netherlands	Completed	https://www.offshoreenergytoday.com/gallery-allseas-giant-vessel-pioneering-spirit-installs-test-platform/
YME production platform	Repsol Norge AS	Uninstall YME production platform	13,000 t	Norway	Completed	https://allseas.com/pioneering-spirit-removing-the-yme-topsides/
Shell Brent Delta	Shell	Uninstalling Brent D platform	24,000 t	United Kingdom	Completed	https://allseas.com/project/brent-delta-topsides-removal/
TurkStream 2 pipeline	Gazprom	Installation of the TurkStream Pipeline	Installation of a 32-inch pipeline	Turkey Russia	Completed	https://www.offshoreenergytoday.com/pioneering-spirit-vessel-in-record-breaking-mission-for-turkstream-project/
(JS) Johan Sverdrup Oilfield	Equinor	Installation Drill. Platform JS	22,000 t	Norway	Completed	https://allseas.com/project/johan-sverdrup-development-phase-1/
Nordstream 2	Gazprom	Installation of the Nordstream Pipeline	around 2,300 km of installation of a 48-inch pipeline	Russia Germany	Canceled	https://allseas.com/news/allseas-suspends-nord-stream-2-pipelay-activities/
Valhall Living Quarters platform	Aker BP	Uninstall LQ platform	3,400 t	Norway	Completed	https://allseas.com/project/valhall/
Shell Brent Bravo	Shell	Uninstalling Brent Bravo Platform	24,000 t	United Kingdom	Completed	https://allseas.com/project/brent-bravo/
(PP) Johan Sverdrup Oilfield	Equinor	Installation process platform JS	26,000 t	Norway	Completed	https://allseas.com/project/johan-sverdrup-development-phase-1/
(LQ) Johan Sverdrup Oilfield	Equinor	Installation Living Quarters Platform JS	18,000 t	Norway	Completed	https://allseas.com/project/johan-sverdrup-development-phase-1/
Statfjord A Unit	Equinor	Uninstalling Statfjord A platform	48,000 t (lifting capacity will be increased)	Norway	Postponed	https://www.offshore-mag.com/production/article/14074525/equinor-targets-20year-life-extension-for-north-sea-statfjord-oil-and-gas-field
Tyra redevelopment	Total	Uninstalling Topsides & Jackets	Topsides: 14,000 t Tyra East Alpha and 7,600 t Tyra West Alpha topsides 5,000 t Tyra East Alpha, 2,900 t Tyra West Alpha, 1200 t Tyra West Delta tripod and 900 t Tyra East Delta jackets 1,400 t Module K and 1,000 t IPF modules	Denmark	75% completed	https://www.oedigital.com/news/480975-gallery-allseas-completes-tyra-removal-work-off-denmarkhttps://allseas.com/project/tyra-redevelopment/
Gyda Platform Removal Job	Repsol Norge AS	Uninstall Gyda platform	18,000 t topsides & 11,200 t jackets	Norway	Planned	https://www.offshoreenergytoday.com/repsol-awards-gyda-platform-removal-job-to-allseas/
Shell Brent Charly	Shell	Uninstalling Brent C platform	29,500 tons of topsides	United Kingdom	Planned	https://www.sut.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/3.-Matthijs-Groenewegen-ALLSEAS_approved-for-distribution.pdf
Shell Brent Alpha	Shell	Uninstalling Brent A Platform	17,000 t topside	United Kingdom	Completed	https://www.oedigital.com/news/479521-photo-allseas-pioneering-spirit-removes-brent-alpha-platform
Ninian North Project	Canadian Natural Resources International's (CNRL)	Uninstalling Ninan Nord Platform	12,500 t platform & 7,000 t jacket	United Kingdom	Completed	https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/north-sea/261814/ninian-northern-removed-pioneering-spirit/
Valhalla field platform removal	Aker BP	Uninstalling three platforms and two jackets	Drilling platform (DP) 5,950 t topsides & 4,350 t jacket, production and compression platform (PCP) 10,900 t topsides & 9,500 t jacket, 1,100 t Hod platform and 3,500 t jacket	Norway	Planned	https://www.oedigital.com/news/477395-allseas-pioneering-spirit-vessel-to-remove-valhall-platforms

See also

• List of the largest ships in the world

literature

• Edward Heerema: "Pieter Schelte" - construction of an offshore all-rounder . In: Schiff & Hafen , Vol. 65, Issue 11, 2013, ISSN  0938-1643 , pp. 22-25.

Web links

Commons : Pioneering Spirit  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Pioneering spirit to the website of Allseas (Engl.)
• Building report with photos on the website of the BBC (English).
• Impossible Engineering: World's Biggest Ship , documentation of the Science Channel

Footnotes

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Birth of the world's largest-ever ship, article in Lloyd's Register report 1/2015, title and pages 4-7 ( Memento from January 10, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
2. ↑ ^{a b} Equasis entry by Pieter Schelte (English, free registration required)
3. ^ Pioneering Spirit (Allseas). Allseas, accessed April 11, 2014 .  
4. ↑ ^{a b} Peter Odrich: Biggest ship in the world is supposed to carry oil platforms on its back , on: ingenieur.de of August 21, 2014, accessed on August 25, 2014
5. ↑ Allseas website with project history . www.allseas.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
6. ^ Report on the award of the contract in Offshore-Magazin . www.offshore-mag.com. June 11, 2010. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
7. ↑ Shipbuilding Industry with a report on the award of the contract . www.shipbuilding-industry.eu. June 16, 2010. Accessed on January 26, 2011.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
8. ↑ ^{a b} Allseas website with procurement history . www.allseas.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
9. ^ Project report on Pieter Schelte von Bosch. Bosch Group, accessed April 11, 2014 . 
10. ↑ Construction progress ( Memento of December 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) , Allseas.
11. ↑ "Pieter Schelte" strengthens offshore cluster · Special ship uses new harbor basin on the Maas plain - owner group is planning an even larger ship . In: Daily port report of January 13, 2015, p. 4
12. ↑ The largest ship in the world: Titanic and aircraft carriers can pack up there. In: CHIP Online. Retrieved January 1, 2016 . 
13. ^ Decades in the Making, Record-Breaking 'Pioneering Spirit' Completes First Lift [PHOTOS]. In: gCaptain. Retrieved August 24, 2016 . 
14. ↑ see also the video of the deinstallation
15. ↑ Pioneering Spirit starts laying Nord Stream 2 in Finland , press release, Nord Stream 2, 23 December 2018.
16. ↑ https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/nach-us-sanktionen-wegen-nord-stream-2-allseas-plant-keine-fortetzung-der-pipeline-verlege/25375366.html
17. ↑ MAN Diesel press release on Pieter Schelte . www.mandiesel.dk. July 28, 2007. Accessed on January 27, 2011.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
18. ↑ Press release on engine delivery from MAN Diesel . www.man.de. July 6, 2007. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
19. ↑ ^{a b} Vessel dimensions and capability range. (No longer available online.) Allseas, archived from the original on September 21, 2014 ; accessed on December 8, 2014 . 
20. ↑ Tls for pioneering spirit , Cimolai.
21. ↑ https://www.cimolai.com/portfolio/tls-for-pioneering-spirit-2/
22. ↑ https://www.cimolai.com/portfolio/tls-for-pioneering-spirit-2/
23. ↑ http://www.escher.nl/en-US/Markten/Speciale-constructies-Equipment/Offshore-Onshore-handling/Jacket-Lift-System-Pieter-Schelte
24. ↑ https://allseas.com/equipment/pioneering-spirit/
25. ↑ https://www.portofrotterdam.com/en/news-and-press-releases/biglift-barentsz-sails-northern-sea-route-for-pioneering-spirit
26. ↑ https://gramho.com/media/2008204347398080172
27. ↑ https://www.smulders.com/en/stinger-pioneering-spirit
28. ↑ Pipeline installation. (No longer available online.) Allseas, archived from the original on November 20, 2014 ; accessed on December 8, 2014 . 
29. ↑ Marinebuzz with information on Solitaire . www.marinebuzz.com. October 10, 2009. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
30. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKvH2cm7kMg&t=1539s
31. ↑ https://www.oedigital.com/news/446635-pioneering-spirit-completes-record-offshore-lift-video
32. ↑ Article on USAToday.com on Pieter Schelte Heerema . www.usatoday.com. July 11, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
33. ↑ Allseas renames Pieter scolding to pioneering spirit. www.offshore-mag.com, February 11, 2015, accessed on February 15, 2015 (English).