The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) and the Community of European Shipyards’ Association (CESA) are calling on the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support the building of new ships to serve the expanding offshore wind energy market over the coming years.
EWEA and CESA urge the European Commission to develop programmes and funding mechanisms, and for the European Investment Bank to take the necessary measures to support the risk related to the necessary significant investments, to ensure that a sufficient number of installation vessels are available to the offshore wind industry. They also argue that the offshore wind power industry should be identified as a key industry in the EU’s 2020 strategy for smart, green growth.
Investments in new ships totalling €2.4 billion are needed for the predicted growth of offshore wind. By 2020, the installation of thousands of offshore wind turbines, as well as the necessary substructures and cables, is foreseen.
“From 2020 we will see 40,000 MWs per year built offshore” said Eddie O’Connor, founder and CEO of Mainstream Renewables and EWEA Secretary. “This will require ten to twelve new heavy lift vessels, other vessels for transporting foundations, towers, nacelles and blading systems. New ports will have to be built across Europe.”
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Tags: · european union, Shipyard, wind_farm
Nearly 7 years ago Yantai Raffles Shipyard, in Shandong Province China, recognized that the building of tomorrow’s biggest offshore oil vessels and platforms would require machinery of epic size. To prepare for this future they commissioned the construction of the World’s Largest Crane.
Now, the largest builder of semi-submersible drilling rigs, reached a new milestone by christening of the world’s first fixed dual-beam gantry crane, with an enormous lifting capacity at 20,000 MT, making it the biggest crane in the world.
The new state-of-the-art facility at the Yantai shipyard is named ‘Taisun’, after a famous sacred mountain in the PRC’s Shandong Province reflecting its size, strength and inspirational qualities.
The Christening ceremony was held on April 18 and was well attended by over 600 guests from all over the world. The event commenced with a ribbon cutting session by distinguished guests. Following the opening address by Mr Brian Chang, Chairman of YRS, ‘Taisun’ demonstrated to all attendees its astounding strength by hoisting up a launching barge 30 meters above the water. Independent party American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) witnessed the lift and presented Mr Chang with a “Witness Load Testing” certificate, confirming the capacity of ‘Taisun’ at 20,133 MT; a heavy lift world record.
‘Taisun’ now entering into commercial service, has been earmarked for at least nine lifts over the next 24 months. It will revolutionize the way large offshore projects such as semi-submersibles and FPSOs are built. By providing a perfectly safe, uniquely controllable and highly cost effective way to join super sections of up to 20,000 MT, the hours spent working at great heights will be significantly reduced. As a result, overall project man-hours can be improved upon by up to 2 million, overall build schedules and time-to-market shortened, and safety and quality greatly improved.
In a press statement made by Mr Haldor Fottland, Area Manager of Awilco Offshore, it said, “Awilco Offshore Semi AS congratulates YRS on the christening of the 20,000 MT crane. The introduction of this big crane certainly opens up for more efficient project execution. We are glad to see the ‘Taisun’ crane operating, and we look forward to experience it in full action with the mating lift for our first semi-submersible rig.”
The Proposed Site
Groundbreaking
Laying The Foundation
Building The Towers
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Tags: · amazing_photos, China, crane, heavy lift crane, photos, Shipyard
Photo By gCaptain
Today’s Photo Of The Week is an HDR view of Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI)- Shipyard in Geoje, South Korea. This photo was taken from the crown of a newbuild drillship’s derrick. Notice the 5 heavy lift sheerleg cranes in the background.
More photos from gCaptain’s shipyard collection here: SHI Shipyard Korea
For more amazing HDR photos don’t miss this blog’s HDR Ship Photos tag or gCaptain’s HDR Flickr Tag.
[Continue Reading →]
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A few months back we brought you photos of the world’s largest crane being built, today we show you it in action.
It is the world’s first fixed dual-beam gantry crane, with an unparalleled lifting capacity of 20,000 tonnes. The crane is named “Taisun” after a sacred mountain in China’s Shandong Province reflecting its size, strength and inspirational qualities.
In 2008, Yantai Raffles Shipyard celebrated the much anticipated First Commercial Lift by Taisun amidst a blaze of fireworks and the expectant gaze of the 750 strong local and international guests, lifting the massive 14,000 MT Deckbox of COSL Drilling Europe AS’ (“COSL”) Semi-submersible Drilling Rig, the ‘COSLPioneer’, and mating it onto the Columns and Hull of the Rig in one single operation, demonstrating an unprecedented feat within the industry.
The Taisun crane has been commissioned by YRS until 2010 to complete at least 9 lifts over a 24 month period.
For more information on the world’s largest crane, check out the YRS website HERE
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Tags: · crane, heavy lift crane, jumbo crane, oil_rig, Shipyard
Photo by nasebaer
Chief Journalist David Nagle of US Naval Sea Systems Command brings us Milestones in Ship Construction:
“So the ship’s been christened, so now it goes out to sea, right? Or, is that the commissioning? Have they put the ship into the water yet? And, when do they break the champagne bottle?”
Just as there are many milestones in the life of a Navy ship, there are a number of significant milestones and evolutions involved in bringing that ship to life. The following are some of the major milestones associated with a new construction ship.
Keel Laying: This is the formal recognition of the start of a ship’s construction. In earlier times it was the “laying down” of the central or main timber making up the backbone of a vessel. Today, fabrication of the ship may begin months before and some of the ship’s bottom may actually be joined. However, the keel laying symbolically recognizes the joining of modular components and the ceremonial beginning of a ship.
Stepping the Mast: The placement of the mast into the hull in ancient times signified the moment when a “shell” truly became a ship. To commemorate that moment, the Romans placed coins under mast for good luck or to help deceased Sailors into the afterworld. Today, coins, often reflecting the ship’s hull numbers, are typically placed under or near the mast for good luck in a small ceremony. [Continue Reading →]
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Tags: · newbuild, Shipyard
How is a cabin is built in this day of containerization and commodization? Remotely of course. Eurodam News, Holland America’s blog showcasing the shipyard activities around their latest new build project, brings us photos of the stateroom installation.
Of potential interest to readers of this blog the method shown here is very similar to how accommodation blocks are built aboard modern commercial ships. In conjuntion with this trend is the movement towards equality among crew members, which means the Captain’s cabin is often identical to that of the most junior crew member minus the extra rack. This is in stark contrast to my first ship, a Wrecks Act tanker built in Japan, which contained bunkrooms for junior crew members and a four room (day room, office, sitting room, cabin) suite for the Captain. [Continue Reading →]
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Tags: · Cruise Ship, Interesting, Photo, Ship Design, Shipyard
These photos show the laying of the bow section of a new drillship being built in South Korea. Click on the photos for more details or HERE for more shipyard photos from this set.
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Tags: · amazing_photos, hdr photo, newbuild, Shipyard
Tags: · Shipyard, time lapse photography
Emma Maersk
The Emma Maersk is a true Modern Marvel. She is the world’s largest container ship, longest ship currently in service and is propelled by the largest diesel engine ever manufactured. By mid-year 2006 the construction project was going well when on June 9th the accommodation block was devastated by fire. [Continue Reading →]
Emma Maersk Shipyard Fire - Largest Containership in the world [1:27m]:
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Tags: · Container Ship, emma, emma-maersk, emma_maersk, fire, Fire Incidents, Firefighting, Interesting, largest, maersk, Marine Incidents, marine_firefighting, Photo, photos, Shipyard, Video
Amazing planet brings us How To Stretch A Ship – Creating A Bigger Cruise Ship. Click HERE to view the photos.
While this may photo look troubling to some unknowing future vacationers, the process of lengthening a ship is in fact perfectly safe and now more commonly used in order to quickly meet increasing demand at lower costs than producing new ships altoghether. The photo above is of Royal Carribean’s Enchantment of the Seas and was the third ship in their fleet to be lengthened and the largest ship ever to go through the process.
Royal Carribean explains the lengthening process:
Royal Caribbean teamed with two European shipyards to stretch the eight-year-old Enchantment Of The Seas. Aker Finnyards of Finland, which built the original ship, was given overall responsibility for designing, building and installing the mid-body section. Aker asked Keppel Verolme of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, to split the ship in two, insert the midsection, and reassemble the parts. When again whole, Enchantment Of The Seas will return to sea for sea trials and soon afterwards will resume service on July 7, 2005.
Planning among the three teams began more than a year ago. Construction started on the mid-body last September, and the finished mid-body sailed the Baltic and North seas by barge 2,300 kilometers (1,430 miles) to Rotterdam earlier this month. Meanwhile, Enchantment Of The Seas arrived May 15 at the Keppel Verolme yard and entered dry dock, where the mid-body was waiting. The size of the dry-dock bay, one of the largest in the world, allowed the ship and mid-body to sit side-by-side, and allowed for use of an advanced and faster lengthening process. [Continue Reading →]
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Tags: · Cruise Ship, cruise_ship, Shipyard
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