Design
The hull consisted of two floaters with three columns each. The transit draught of 12 meters was normally ballasted down to 25 meters for lifting operations; at that load, the floaters (with a draught of 12 meters) were well-submerged, reducing the effect of waves and swell.
Propulsion was by two controllable pitch propellers and two forward, retractable, controllable pitch thrusters. The helicopter deck was capable of sustaining a Sikorsky 61-N. Up to 336 people could be supported in the air conditioned living quarters.
Cranes
The Hermod had two cranes at the stern. Originally the starboard-side crane was rated at 3,000 short tons (2,700 t) and the port-side at 2,000 short tons (1,800 t). [4] In 1984, the lifting capacities were upgraded to 5,000 and 4,000 short tons (4,500 and 3,600 t) respectively. [1] The main hoist could lift 92 m (302 ft) above the work deck. The auxiliary hoists could lower to a depth of 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) below the work deck. A tandem lift using the main hoists could lift 9,000 short tons (8,200 t) at a 39 m (128 ft) radius.
Blue Marlin and her sister ship MV Black Marlin compose the Marlin class of semisubmersible heavy-lift ships operated by Dockwise Shipping of the Netherlands. Designed to transport very large, semisubmersible drilling rigs above the transport ship's deck, she is equipped with 38 cabins to accommodate 60 people, a workout room, sauna and swimming facilities, and a secure citadel for protection against pirate attacks.
A crane is a machine used to move materials both vertically and horizontally, utilizing a system of a boom, hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves for lifting and relocating heavy objects within the swing of its boom. The device uses one or more simple machines, such as the lever and pulley, to create mechanical advantage to do its work. Cranes are commonly employed in transportation for the loading and unloading of freight, in construction for the movement of materials, and in manufacturing for the assembling of heavy equipment.
A semi-submersible platform is a specialised marine vessel used in offshore roles including as offshore drilling rigs, safety vessels, oil production platforms, and heavy lift cranes. They have good ship stability and seakeeping, better than drillships.
Mighty Servant 2 was a 29,000-ton semi-submersible, heavy-lift ship operated by Dockwise. The ship drew worldwide attention in 1988 for transporting the mine-damaged USS Samuel B. Roberts from Dubai to Newport, Rhode Island.
The Saipem 7000 is the world's third largest semi-submersible crane vessel, after the SSCV Sleipnir and the SSCV Thialf. It is owned by the Italian oil and gas industry contractor Saipem S.p.A.
The lighter aboard ship (LASH) system refers to the practice of loading barges (lighters) aboard a bigger vessel for transport. It was developed in response to a need to transport lighters, a type of unpowered barge, between inland waterways separated by open seas. Lighters are typically towed or pushed around harbors, canals or rivers and cannot be relocated under their own power. The carrier ships are known variously as LASH carriers, barge carriers, kangaroo ships or lighter transport ships.
The SSCV Thialf is a huge semi-submersible crane vessel operated by the Netherlands-based Heerema Marine Contractors; it was the largest crane vessel in the world until the SSCV Sleipnir became the largest in 2019.
DCV Balder is a deepwater construction vessel (DCV) operated by Heerema Marine Contractors.
A crane vessel, crane ship, crane barge, or floating crane is a ship with a crane specialized in lifting heavy loads, typically exceeding 1,500 t for modern ships. The largest crane vessels are used for offshore construction.
Mighty Servant 3 is a 27,000-ton semi-submersible heavy lift ship. Its deck is 40 by 140 m. The vessel was built in 1984 by Oshima Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in Ōshima, Japan, for Dutch shipping firm Wijsmuller Transport, which merged in 1993 with Dock Express Shipping to become Breda-based offshore heavy lifting group Dockwise Shipping B.V.
Pioneering Spirit 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 in 2013 at a cost of €2.6 billion. It commenced offshore operations in August 2016.
A heavy-lift ship is a vessel designed to move very large loads that cannot be transported by normal ships. They are of two types:
Mighty Servant 1 is a 29,000-ton heavy-lift ship capable of carrying very large vessels and offshore platforms. Built for Dutch shipping firm Wijsmuller Transport, which merged in 1993 with Dock Express Shipping to become Breda-based offshore heavy lifting group, Dockwise Shipping B.V. Mighty Servant 1 carried structures such as oil rigs and floating drydocks. Originally 40 m (130 ft) wide, she was increased to 50 m (160 ft) in 1999 to lift the production rig Petrobras 36 or P36.
Taisun is a gantry crane with a safe working load of 20,000 metric tons. Taisun was designed by DHHI and built for the installation of very large modules in semi submersibles and FPSO projects. It is located at Yantai Raffles Shipyard in Yantai, Shandong Province, China. The gantry crane holds the record for the heaviest weight lifted by a crane.
Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) is a contractor headquartered in the Netherlands most notable for operation of three of the largest crane vessels in the offshore industry.
MV Target is a semi-submersible heavy transport ship, built by Brodosplit in Yugoslavia.
Dockwise was a Netherlands-based holding company in the marine transport industry. It was acquired by Boskalis in 2013 and was merged into the Boskalis brand name in 2018.
DCV Aegir is a deepwater construction vessel (DCV) owned by Heerema Marine Contractors and was christened during a festive ceremony in September 2013.
BOKA Vanguard is a semisubmersible heavy-lift ship owned and operated by Dockwise B.V. Dockwise Vanguard is the largest vessel of her type ever built, and is able to carry cargoes up to 110,000 tonnes. Dockwise Vanguard was designed to move offshore oil and gas facilities, but can also carry other ships and act as an offshore dry-dock facility.
SSCV Sleipnir is a semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV) owned and operated by the Netherlands-based Heerema Marine Contractors. It was ordered in 2015 and built in Singapore by Sembcorp Marine. It was named for Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse ridden by Odin in Norse mythology.
