Giant Pieter Schelte Arrives in Rotterdam

The world’s largest ship, the Pieter Schelte, arrived in Rotterdam Thursday after an approximately 7 week voyage from the DSME shipyard in South Korea, at least 4 years under construction, and decades of planning.

The giant catamaran-like ship has been moved to Rotterdam where the final phases of construction will take place. Plans call for the vessel to be moved to Alexiahaven to a specially-designed and dredged berth known as Maasvlakte 2, where the 65-meter long beams of the topside lift system will be installed.

At 382 meters (1,253 feet) long by 124 meters wide (407 feet), the vessel is arguably one of the biggest ships ever constructed. With help from a slot at the bow and a 48,000 tonne lifting capacity, the Pieter Schelte will be used to install and remove decommissioned topsides and jackets of large offshore oil and gas platforms in the North Sea with a single lift. The vessel is also equipped for laying large pipelines with a capacity that will also make her the largest pipelay vessel.

The Pieter Schelte was commissioned by Swiss company Allseas, which specializes in offshore pipeline installation and subsea construction, and reportedly cost close to $3 billion to construct.

The vessel has been under construction at the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering shipyard in Okpo since 2010 (although early construction even began as early as 2007), and the concept dates back to 1987 when it was first designed by Allseas founder and chief executive Edward Heerema.

Pieter Schelte departed DSME on November 17, 2014 with the assistance of tugs. On its journey to Rotterdam, the ship made stops at Singapore and then Cape Town as it passed the Cape of Good Hope.

Offshore operations are expected to commence in the summer of 2015, according to Allseas. Allseas is also planning a second, larger ship with a lifting capacity up to 50% greater.

Here’s some video of her arrival in Rotterdam:

Pieter Schelte Particulars:

Length overall (incl. tilting lift beam and stinger): 477 m (1,565 ft)
Length overall (excl. tilting lift beam and stinger): 382 m (1,253 ft)
Length between perpendiculars: 370 m (1,214 ft)
Breadth: 124 m (407 ft)
Depth to main deck: 30 m (98 ft)
Slot length: 122 m (400 ft)
Slot width: 59 m (194 ft)
Topsides lift capacity: 48,000 t (105,820 kips)
Jacket lift capacity: 25,000 t (55,116 kips)
Stinger length (incl. transition frame): 210 m (690 ft)
Operating draught: 10-25 m (32-82 ft)
Maximum speed: 14 knots
Total installed power: 95,000 kW
Accommodation: 571 persons
Dynamic positioning system: LR DP (AAA), fully redundant Kongsberg K-Pos DP-22 and 2 x cJoy system
Deck cranes: 3 x Pipe transfer cranes of 50 t (110 kips) at 33 m (108 ft), 1 x Special purpose crane of
600 t (1,323 kips) at 20 m (66 ft)
Work stations: Double-joint factory with 5 line-up stations and 2 stations for combined external and internal welding; Main firing line with 6 welding stations for double joints, 1 NDT station and 6 coating stations
Tensioner capacity: 4 x 500 t (4 x 1,102 kips)
Pipe diameters: From 2? to 68? OD
Pipe cargo capacity (deck): 27,000 t