Offshore Marine Technology: 2nd Quarter 2018
An internal vessel naming competition has seen Dutch heavy-lift contractor Jumbo christen its forthcoming heavy-lift crane vessel (HLCV) Stella Synergy.
Jumbo signed the letter of intent for this powerful newcomer in December 2017. The HLCV is currently under build at shipbuilding, repair and conversion specialist China Merchants Heavy Industry (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd, with delivery anticipated in February 2020.
Described by Michael Kahn, Jumbo managing director, as a “key milestone for [our] offshore division”, the dynamic positioning 2- (DP2-) rated vessel has been designed jointly by Jumbo and Norway’s Ulstein Design and Solutions. Upon completion, Stella Synergy will feature a length of 185m and a breadth of 36m.
Stella Synergy is set to incorporate Ulstein’s proven X-BOW hull design and, given her dimensions, Jumbo claims Stella Synergy will be the world’s largest X-BOW built to date.
According to the operator, this hull form was chosen for the HLCV in order to produce a “more consistent transit speed and better offshore workability in severe weather conditions”, with benefits including reduced bow impact and slamming, lower acceleration levels and pitch, reduced wave-induced vibrations and greatly diminished levels of onboard noise and vibrations.
The HLCV’s intended missions will include: installation of wind turbine foundations; installation and decommissioning of fixed oil and gas structures in shallow waters; installation of mooring systems and floating structures in deeper waters; and installation of subsea structures, foundations and tie-backs.
Shortly after the contract for Stella Synergy was signed, Jumbo stated: “With this vessel, [we] will service the new economic era of the global offshore energy industry by providing smarter and more cost-efficient solutions to [these] markets.”
Lifting and LNG
As an indicator of her lifting capacity, Stella Synergy will be equipped with two offshore mast cranes, designed and produced by Huisman Equipment.
The first, main crane will boast a capacity of 2,500tonnes. It will also feature a triple hoist for what Jumbo calls “complex upending operations”, in addition to an active heave-compensated (AHC) auxiliary block rated 661tonnes with a water depth rating of 3,000m.
The second, subsea crane will feature a 400tonne capacity and an AHC main hoist. It will also have a water depth rating of 3,000m and will be positioned for optimal access to the HLCV’s moon pool. This crane will be fitted with a man-riding whip hoist.
In order to grant the completed vessel a high degree of fuel efficiency, and to reduce her impact on the environment, the plan is to power Stella Synergy with dual-fuel engines, and she will be able to run on LNG Jumbo comments.
Jumbo has been focusing on the offshore renewables market of late, having recently completed a construction contract at the Arkona offshore turbine array, located in the German Baltic Sea. This wind park, which is managed by energy majors E.ON and Statoil, has the capacity to deliver 385MW of power in total.
The contract saw fellow Dutch offshore contractor Van Oord appoint Jumbo to install Arkona’s 60 transition pieces, using the latter company’s DP2 HLCV Fairplayer.
Jumbo’s fleet currently comprises 10 heavy-lift vessels, which offer lifting capacities ranging from 650 metric tonnes to 3,000 metric tonnes.
