TransporT & Heavy LifTing
The Huisman Innovation Tower meets the desire of the oil & gas industry to operate more sustainably.
Load testing of the 3D printed offshore crane hook.
industry to operate more sustainably. This tower is safer and more efficient in drilling a deepwater well, and is suitable for use on smaller vessels, resulting in higher fuel efficiency.” Mr van Veluw continues, “We have furthermore used the lee in the oil & gas business to pick up some R&D projects we were unable to execute in the prosperous years before. Apart from our foldable crane, this also resulted in the Huisman Innovation Tower, the Hybrid Boom Crane, an ultra deepwater fibre rope system and most recently, the development of the world’s first 3D printed offshore crane hook.”
Life Extension
Mr Ligterink adds, “Today, we see a change in the use of specialised, often smaller, vessels. The installation of turbine foundations requires a different type of equipment compared to work related to the wind turbine generator itself. Instead of fitting one vessel with all kinds of gears requiring a lot of deck space, contractors want smaller vessels with dedicated equipment for each task, making them more flexible and cost-efficient in operation.” The oil & gas life extension programmes appear to be another opportunity for Huisman. “As operators are extending the life of many existing platforms, equipment such as cranes also need replacing. Ample operators
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relevant data from their cranes, for further improvement of new-build cranes.”
Agility
3D printing can become the new future manufacturing technology for all kind of crane parts reveal once again their conservative side, asking for the exact same cranes as the original ones, and it is our challenge to make them opt for the modern, ‘greener’ solutions that we offer.”
Remote Maintenance
Many cranes supplied by Huisman are operational all over the world. An in-house service team takes care of maintenance and service on request. Huisman is a frontrunner when it comes to remote maintenance. Mr van Veluw exclaims that, “For years, we have been equipping all our cranes with sensors and remote access to the crane’s software. Abundant data can be obtained with these sensors. This is highly efficient in problem solving, and some customers even give us free access to all
One of the latest developments at Huisman is 3D printing. Mr van Veluw states, “3D printing can become the new future manufacturing technology for all kind of crane parts, as it has many pros compared to traditional production methods. As 3D printing is perfect for high grade steel one-offs, this production method fits us perfectly, as one-offs are our specialty.” “Innovation has always been one of our main strengths, and this really helped us through the recent crisis. As a family-owned company, we look further than short-term profit. We are also able to act with great agility whenever market circumstances change. One of the opportunities we are currently looking at, are the Asian markets. Countries such as China, Taiwan and Japan are investing heavily in offshore wind, asking for dedicated equipment. We are, of course, fully prepared to be one of the first to supply this equipment,” concludes Mr Ligterink with a smile. i. www.huismanequipment.com
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