OFFSHORE WIND Ӏ RENEWABLES
WORLD’S LARGEST ELECTRIC CRANE As an illustration of that problem, and of the measures being taken to tackle it, consider this: the world’s largest electric crane is now being built. And it is being built specifically for offshore wind. The Mammoet SK6000 is a ring crane with a capacity of 6,000 tonnes. It has been some time in gestation – the project was announced in 2020 – but its first parts will soon be delivered to Mammoet’s central engineering plant in The Netherlands. Fabrication and production will continue through the year to ready it for its first project, with delivery scheduled in 2024.
Mammoet has announced the crane will have a fixed-jib configuration that will allow offshore wind developers to reach deeper waters and significantly cut the cost of floating wind assembly. Lifts of 3,000 tonnes at 220 metres height will become a reality. The new configuration means that the crane can load out floating foundations using its main boom, then immediately use its fixed jib to assemble the turbine tower.
No reconfiguration will be necessary between scopes, further improving build efficiency. The crane sets a new standard
in worldwide heavy lifting, says Mammoet. Its outreach, hook height and lifting capacity allows customers to construct with heavier and larger components than ever before. The new ring crane shares
the same engineering DNA as its predecessor, the SK350, with similar design principles and lifting techniques. “This was always the basis of our original design philosophy,” says Mammoet technical expert Jeremy Haylock. “We wanted to develop a product that would be scalable and agile. Because the world is developing so quickly, and the changes around us are so vast, our aim was to deliver a product that would allow us to grow in real-time with our customers.” Like earlier models, the SK6000 is containerised, enabling swift mobilisation and on-site assembly. It has been designed with next generation offshore wind farms in mind and will serve all global energy markets where additional lifting capacity is needed.
Sarens loading out a floating foundation for Provence Grand Large
“As the industry moves towards 20MW turbines, offshore wind components continue to grow in size and weight,” Haylock continues. “More lift capacity is needed. The SK6000 delivers this capacity and unlocks a major design constraint. It will enable customers to integrate higher and bigger turbines, and launch heavier foundations, be they fixed or floating.” And for those who suppose that diesel is indispensable to heavy lifting it shows these heaviest of offshore lifts can be carbon free. The SK6000 will be operational
very soon; it is at present, nevertheless, a work in progress. For an example already in operation point to Mammoet’s PTC210-DS ring crane installation at the port of Nigg, Scotland, where it has been serving the Seagreen offshore wind farm. It has taken years of planning and work to bring crane, and project, to fruition. A defining issue was the high tides at the port. The final wind turbine, however, was installed at the end of June this year and two-thirds of the project’s 114 turbines are already supplying green energy to consumers. The box on page 32 tells the full story.
CRANES TODAY 29
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