The PTC210-DS ring crane will be used for major A-Frame upgrade of Van Oord heavy-lift installation vessel, Svanen 

One of the largest cranes in the world, the Mammoet PTC210-DS, will shortly undertake the lift of a huge A-Frame for the Van Oord-owned heavy lift installation vessel, Svanen.    

The colossal 210,000tm, 3,200t class crane was chosen as it is one of the few cranes in the world capable of performing the job, and was available locally.  

As offshore wind turbines grow to achieve greater efficiency, so too are their components. The upgrade to the larger A-Frame will enable the Svanen to install new generation monopile foundations at sea.  

The frame is made up of three main components, which were fabricated by Holland Shipyards and were moved, lifted and transported by Mammoet to its quayside headquarters in Schiedam, The Netherlands.  

There, the different components of the A-frame will be assembled and then driven 66 meters along the waterfront using 64 axle lines of Mammoet Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs), ready for the PTC to perform the lift.    

The completed A-Frame will increase the total height of the Svanen to 125 meters.   

The configuration of the PTC to perform the lift will be 105 meters of main boom and 66 meters of luffing jib, with more than 4,000 tonnes of counterweight in use.  

Installation of the frame will take just one week during April and May. The efficiency of the project is due to the crane’s availability in Rotterdam and the fact that the A-Frame can be lifted as a single unit.   

Julian Alkemade, Project Manager at Mammoet, said:  

“These two unique pieces of equipment are in the same place at the same time. The lift capabilities and location of the PTC will greatly mitigate downtime for the vessel.   

Normally, such a project could take a year or so to plan, but here it has only taken a few months due to the crane’s availability and its unique capabilities as one of the world’s largest”.