Heerema Marine Contractors’ (HMC) Sleipnir semisubmersible crane vessel (SSCV), said to be the world’s largest, completed a 15,300-tonne lift, installing the topsides for Noble Energy Inc.’s Leviathan development in the Mediterranean Sea.
The lift, says HMC of Leiden, The Netherlands, sets a world record.
Discovered in 2010, Leviathan’s recoverable resources total an estimated 17.6 tcf (OGJ, Apr. 1, 2019, p. 36). Noble Energy is developing Leviathan with a subsea system and fixed offshore platform. The Leviathan system has a designed production capacity of up to 1.2 bcfd.
The Sleipnir SSCV has installed two main topsides with a total weight of 24,500 tonnes in less than 20 hr for the Leviathan development.
The Sleipnir vessel, which is LNG-powered, entered service in July 2018. Two revolving cranes on the vessel can lift as much as 20,000 tonnes in tandem.
