Project preparation

The project preparation took quite some time. The crane boom tip was still in its original package at the Total yard in Den Helder. It needed to be loaded onto a supply vessel and sea-fastened in a way that made offshore lifting feasible. The new boom section needed protection during transport and during the initial stages of the offshore lift.

Offshore works

The new crane boom tip arrived at the platform with the supply vessel and was loaded onto the main deck by the platform crane. Besides the new flare tip, space was cleared to position the existing crane boom tip.

The existing crane was lowered with the base of the crane boom resting on the load bearing scaffold.

The wiring and remaining equipment of the existing crane boom tip were disconnected before the bolts were released. The platform crane lifted the existing crane boom tip to deck and picked up the new crane boom section for installation.

On the platform, a load bearing scaffold needed to be erected. This scaffold would bear the entire weight of the existing crane boom when the rigging was released. Access was also created for reeving and bolting purposes. Conbit’s rope access technicians would access any areas that could not be made accessible by scaffolding.

Load test

After the bolts were reconnected according the bolting protocol, the original equipment was reconnected to the new crane boom tip and the wiring was brought into place. Once the system was operational, a load test was successfully completed and the deck crane could be taken into operation again.

The Conbit team would like to thank Total for their cooperation. We appreciate the sense of safety within the complete Total organisation. We recognise the importance of safety.