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Seaway 7 Discloses Crane Problem On Newbuild Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Vessel Being Built in China

An illustration of the Seaway Alfa Lift heavy lift crane installation vessel. Image courtesy Ulstein

Seaway 7 Discloses Crane Problem On Newbuild Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Vessel Being Built in China

Mike Schuler
Total Views: 6412
October 19, 2021

Seaway 7 ASA says it’s too soon to determined whether the delivery of its new heavy lift crane installation vessel, Seaway Alfa Lift, will be delayed after the company disclosed an incident involving the ship’s main crane during construction in China.

The Seaway Alfa Lift is currently being built by China Merchants Heavy Industry with delivery planned in 2022. But on Monday, Seaway 7 said an incident involving the ship’s crane could potentially impact the delivery schedule, yet it’s too soon to tell.

“Today, we have been informed of an incident involving the folding A-frame on the main crane of Alfa Lift, currently under construction in China. No personnel have been injured and the unplanned movement of the folding A-frame is currently being investigated,” the company said in a stock exchange update.

The ship’s HLC 150000 main crane is manufactured by Liebherr in Rostock, Germany. With a maximum lifting capacity of 3,000 tonnes at 30 meters, the crane is specially designed to install monopiles and jacket foundations for some of the world’s largest offshore wind turbines.

“The incident is a matter between the shipyard and crane vendor, and it is too early to indicate if this will have an impact on delivery schedule of the vessel,” Seaway 7 said in its update.

Designed by Ulstein, Seaway Alfa Lift is a dynamically-positioned, 48,000 DWT heavy lift transport and installation vessel for the offshore wind industry. The design combines the benefits of a semi-submersible vessel with a high-capacity main crane, allowing heavy lift crane operations to be performed with the main deck submerged.

The vessel and crane was initially ordered by Oslo-based Offshore Heavy Transport (OHT), which recently combined with the renewables business of Subsea 7 to create a pure-play renewables company named Seaway 7.

In 2019 Alfa Lift was awarded a contract to transport and install foundations for the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm, with work expected to take place in 2022 and 2024.

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