World's Biggest Shear-Leg Floating Crane in Operation

On April 21, Hyundai-10000, Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI)’s newest floating crane, succeeded to the throne of “symbol of HHI” from the two 1,600-ton gantry cranes at its offshore yard by lifting a topside module of Moho Nord tension leg platform (TLP) at once.

What makes Hyundai-10000 a successor to the 1,600-ton Goliath cranes is not just because it is new but because it has an unparalleled lifting capacity at one of the world’s biggest offshore yards. Hyundai-10000 can lift subjects about six times heavier than the Goliath crane, hence its name.

Versatile an Sophisticated Handler for Mega Blocks

Hyundai-10000 was put into production at HSHI in October 2013 and was delivered to HHI’s offshore yard in late March this year. Moreover, this is not just the biggest crane HHI has; it is also the world’s biggest shear-leg type floating crane in terms of the lifting capacity. The floating cranes can be categorized into two groups; a shear-leg type in which the crane is fixed on the barge and a revolving type in which the crane is 360 degree rotatable on the hull. The fixed-type floating with shallow draft is more versatile for building ships, bridges and ports.

The 10,000-ton shear-leg floating crane is equipped with two 180-meter-long crane booms and two sets of 70 m high back stay. The crane is operable with the control of 16 sets of main hoisting winches, eight sets of jib hoisting winches and 72mm and 54mm wire ropes which are 5,700 meters long each. The main hook is made of eight sets of 1,250-ton hook. The four sets of 2,200 kW main generators, two sets of 600 kW harbor generators and one set of 100 kW emergency generator produce electricity the crane needs. The vessel also has a ballast system for purifying the sea water the crane takes in while it is on the sea or at berth. To enhance safety, Hyundai-10000 is specially designed to hold objects in the air even in an emergency situation when one of the two wire ropes is compromised. The crane is also engineered to maintain a hook angle of 15 degrees towards starboard/portside and 20 degrees towards the stern to handle the cargo in an optimal condition. The vessel can maintain its horizontal position automatically within a deviation of +/-100 mm when it lifts up a 50 meter-long cargo.

Saving Cost and Streamlining Production Process at the Yard

The world’s largest shear-leg floating crane will surely bring mutual benefits to HHI with the productivity increase and annual cost reduction of 24 billion Korean won ($22 million), and to clients with on-time and early delivery of facilities they ordered.

Mr. Park Jong-bong, COO of HHI’s Offshore & Engineering Division, said, “Let’s say, the maximum weight of a topside module we can make for FPSO is 1,600 tons. That means if we build a 8,000 ton topside module with the Goliath Crane, our employees have to repeat five times all the same prerequisite works to lift a 1,600 ton module such as hooking the crane’s wire ropes and the modules, and rearranging the cranes to the optimal locations striking perfect balance. However with the Hyundai-10000, HHI can make a single 8,000-ton module, pick it up and install it at one time. It wouldn’t be hard to calculate the man-hours and construction time HHI can save from the streamlined lifting process.”

These benefits are not mere talk but test proven as well. On April 14, Hyundai-10000 lifted up a 6,500-ton top side module of Moho Nord tension leg platform (TLP) HHI secured from Total in March 2013. HHI has carried out engineering, procurement, supply, construction, and commissioning for the offshore facilities to be deployed in Moho Nord field, 80 km off Republic of the Congo’s coast by the second half of this year. The vertically moored floating TLP will be used to extract and transport oil and natural gas to the floating production unit.

There was a time when a 10,000-ton offshore facility deserved a moniker “a big order” but now, offshore facilities should weigh more than 20,000-ton to win the title of “something big.” A series of “big projects” lined up to be built with the world’s largest shear-leg floating crane in HHI’s offshore yard include Quad 204 FPSO in the first half of this year, and Aasta Hansteen spar platform, Jangkrik FPU, and Bergading central processing and wellhead platform for the second half of this year.

Engendering New Orders for Offshore Facilities

HHI’s Offshore & Engineering Division snatched the orders worth $6 billion last year alone. The division set a new order goal of $5.3 billion for this year, 10 % down from last year reflecting unfavorable market conditions. As the size of offshore facilities is getting bigger, Hyundai-10000 will surely play a bigger and more important role in winning new offshore orders for years to come.