HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The ''Saipem 7000'' is the world's third largest
semi-submersible Semi-submersible may refer to a self-propelled vessel, such as: * Heavy-lift ship, which partially submerge to allow their cargo (another ship) to float into place for transport *Narco-submarine, some of which remained partially on the surface * ...
crane vessel A crane vessel, crane ship or floating crane is a ship with a crane specialized in lifting heavy loads. The largest crane vessels are used for offshore construction. Conventional monohulls are used, but the largest crane vessels are often catam ...
, after the and the . It is owned by the oil and gas industry contractor Saipem S.p.A.


Construction

The vessel was designed by
Gusto Engineering Gusto, El Gusto or GUSTO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Gusto!'', an album by the American punk rock group Guttermouth * Gusto (producer), an American house music DJ/producer * ''El Gusto'', a 2012 Franco-Irish-Algerian documentary film ...
during 1984. The vessel was built between 1985 and 1987 by Fincantieri-Cantieri Navali Italiana S.p.A. at their Monfalcone yard,
Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...
in north-eastern
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. The vessel was built in two halves in a long
dry dock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
. The halves were then floated out from the dry dock and mated. During the mating operation the halves were supported by temporary pontoons. The hull mating was complete in early 1987 and the two cranes built by Officine Meccaniche Reggiane under subcontract to American Hoist & Derrick Company (Amhoist) were installed in sections by the Saipem crane vessel '' Castoro Otto'' in April of that year. The sea trials, which took two months, started in September, and on 15 December the vessel was handed over to Micoperi. The cost of the vessel was not released by Micoperi but it was estimated in the technical press as being up to US$400 million.


Description


Concept

The ''Saipem 7000'', originally named the ''Micoperi 7000'', was conceived in the mid-1980s by its original owners Micoperi as a multipurpose offshore oil platform installation vessel that would be able to install very large oil production platform decks (known as integrated decks) as well as the decks' supporting structures (known as jackets) using its two very large fully revolving cranes. It would also be able to support the offshore completion of the platform by providing hotel and workshop facilities for large construction crews. Saturation diving facilities would support subsea connection work. The vessel's size and semi-submersible form would allow it to operate in worse weather conditions than smaller and conventionally shaped vessels. The huge cost of a vessel of this size would be offset by the cost and time savings made by the oil company as the large integrated decks could be completed, tested and commissioned onshore. Prior to the introduction of the large crane vessels, offshore oil platforms were made up of 1000 - 2000 tonne modules which were lifted into place individually by smaller SSCVs or monohull crane vessels and then connected together offshore, tested and then commissioned; this often took over a year. Other savings in the installation of the jackets could also be made.


Original specification


Heavy lift

The ''Saipem 7000'' has tw
NOV Lifting and HandlingAmClyde
model ''Saipem 7000'' fully revolving cranes. Each has a 140-metre-long boom fitted with 4 hooks. Each crane is capable of lifting up to 7,000 tonnes at 40 m lift radius using the main hook. The auxiliary hook capacities are 1st Auxiliary 2,500 tonnes at 75 m radius and 2nd Auxiliary 900 tonnes at 115 m. The whip hook has a capacity of 120 tonnes at 150 m. The 2nd Auxiliary hook can be deployed to a water depth of 450 m. The two cranes are capable of a tandem lift of 14,000 tonnes. Each crane was fitted with engines to power the boom and load hoists, 9 tugger lines and the crane slewing system. The cranes use of wire rope of various diameters.


Ballast system

The ''Saipem 7000'' was fitted with two
ballast Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, ...
systems: a conventional pumped system which could transfer up to 24,000 tonnes of water per hour using 4
pumps A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they ...
and a free flooding system. The free flooding system used 2 m diameter
valves A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...
to open certain compartments to the sea thus trimming or heeling the vessel. This allows the vessel to lift cargoes from barges much faster than if just the crane hoists are used.


Power system

The vessel's main power is provided by eight 12-cylinder 8400 hp
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...
s built by Grandi Motori Trieste, a former Fincantieri company. Later Grandi Motori was purchased by the Finnish
Wärtsilä Wärtsilä Oyj Abp (), trading internationally as Wärtsilä Corporation, is a Finnish company which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include technol ...
. They provide up to 47,000 kW of electric power at 10,000 V 60 Hz for propulsion and positioning. Auxiliary power is provided by two 6-cylinder GMT diesel engines. There is also an emergency generator. Total power that can be supplied is .


Mooring system

The vessel was supplied with 16 anchor lines, 4 at each corner. Each line consists of 3350 m of 96 mm wire rope, 50 m of 92 mm
chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...
and a 40-tonne Norshore Mark 3
anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγ ...
. Each line has its own single drum winch. The mooring system can be used in water depths of up to 450 m. The ''Saipem 7000'' is also equipped with two anchor windlasses equipped with 550m of 130mm chain and 35 tonne anchor.


Thrusters

The vessel was fitted with 12 thrusters—6 on each hull. They are, per hull: *1 No. bow thrusters in athwartship tunnels *2 No. azimuthing retractable thrusters under the hull *2 No. azimuthing thrusters at the stern—these are used when transiting *1 No. azimuthing retractable thrusters under the hull (added during 1999 refit)


Dynamic positioning system

The vessel is equipped with a
dynamic positioning Dynamic positioning (DP) is a computer-controlled system to automatically maintain a vessel's position and heading by using its own propellers and thrusters. Position reference sensors, combined with wind sensors, motion sensors and gyrocompass ...
system which uses either the thrusters or the mooring system or a combination of both, controlled by a number of computers, to hold the vessel in a predefined location.


Platform installation equipment

*Two
Menck Menck & Hambrock (also known as Menck) was a German manufacturer of earth moving and ramming equipment and once one of the world's leading companies. They were based right in the middle of Altona Ottensen, a part of Hamburg. Today the company oper ...
MHU 3000 hydraulic hammers capable of 3000 kJ impact energy. *Two Menck MHU 1700 hydraulic hammers. *Two Menck MHU 1000 hydraulic hammers. *Two Menck MHU 600 hydraulic hammers. *One Menck MHU 220 hydraulic hammer. *One Menck MHU 195 hydraulic hammer. *Two underwater power packs. *One hydraulic hammer compensator. *Various Menck steam hammers and their associated boilers *Sixteen 35 cm diameter 60 m long cable laid slings *A containerized 14-man
saturation diving Saturation diving is diving for periods long enough to bring all tissues into equilibrium with the partial pressures of the inert components of the breathing gas used. It is a diving mode that reduces the number of decompressions divers working ...
system which can be moved to any of the vessel's three
moon pool A moon pool is a feature of marine drilling platforms, drillships and diving support vessels, some marine research and underwater exploration or research vessels, and underwater habitats, in which it is also known as a wet porch. It is an o ...
s *Two leveling systems, range 66" - 72" diameter; 900 tonne capacity each. *Two external levelling systems; 1000 tonnes each. *Abandonment/Recovery system with double capstan winch, 2000 tonne capacity each.


Handling deck equipment

*One Kobelco Crawler Crane 70 tonnes capacity *One Hydraulic Tyred Crane 35 tonnes capacity *Two Fork Lifts 5 tonnes capacity each


Accommodation

The accommodation designed for 800 people contains 30 triple cabins, 335 double cabins, 35 singles and 5 suites. The accommodation also contains a large galley and
mess The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...
rooms, a hospital, cinema and lounges.


1999 vessel re-fit

During the winter of 1999/2000 the ''Saipem 7000'' underwent a refit to enhance its positioning and power systems and add a J-lay system. The power system was upgraded to provide up to 70,000 kW using 12
diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...
generators. To improve the vessel's resilience the generators are distributed between four separate engine rooms. Two 5,500 kW retractable azimuthing thrusters were added, one below the forward part of each hull. The DP system control computers were also replaced. The hull, deck and deck structures were modified to accept the Gusto designed J-lay tower and its support equipment. The J-lay tower can lay pipe from 4" to 32" diameter with a tension of up to 525
tonnes The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United States ...
(5.15 MN) using the tensioners and up to 2,000 tonnes (20 MN) when using friction clamps. The deck can be used to store up to 10,000 tonnes of pipe. To allow space for the increased equipment some items from the original specification were removed, including 2 anchor winches from the bow, all the moon pools, and the boilers used to provide steam for the steam hammers.


Operations


Early projects

The vessel's first work was for
Petrobras Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., better known by the portmanteau Petrobras (), is a state owned enterprise, state-owned Brazilian multinational corporation in the petroleum industry headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The company's name transla ...
the
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
ian state oil company. The project consisted of the installation of 7 platforms in the Campos Basin. During this project the ''Micoperi 7000'' was also involved in the fighting of a well fire on the Enchova Platform. The ''Micoperi 7000'' then proceeded to the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
where it installed the
Jolliet Template Joliet or Jolliet may refer to: People * Louis Jolliet (1645–1700), French-Canadian explorer of North America * Oscar Joliet (1878–1969), Belgian scholar-priest and Catholic Auxiliary bishop of Ghent Places in the United States * Joliet, Illi ...
for Conoco. In 1989 the ''Micoperi 7000'' arrived in the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
for the first time where it completed several projects in the
Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...
sector of the North Sea. These were the
Gyda Platform Gyda ( no, Gydafeltet) is an offshore oil field located in the southern Norwegian section of North Sea along with Ula, Tambar and Tambar East fields making up the UGT area, usually attributed to DONG Energy's main areas of exploration and produc ...
for BP, the
Togi Template Dzeko & Torres was a Canadian production and DJ duo based in Toronto, Ontario. Their style was a combination of progressive house and electro, with influences from Avicii, Lazy Rich, Umek, and Alesso. History 2007 - 2010 Luis Torres and Jul ...
for
Norsk Hydro Norsk Hydro ASA (often referred to as just ''Hydro'') is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. It is one of the largest aluminium companies worldwide. It has operations in some 50 countries around the world a ...
and the Veslefrikk platform for Statoil. In 1990 and 1991, the Micoperi was used in the construction and assembly of the Mossgas FA platform off the south coast of South Africa near a town called Mossel Bay. Whilst the vessel remained busy, Micoperi were struggling financially as the low oil price prevalent in the late 1980s curtailed oil company investment. In 1991 Micoperi were forced to sell a number of their major assets including the ''Micoperi 7000'' to another
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
contractor
Saipem Saipem S.p.A. (Società Anonima Italiana Perforazioni E Montaggi lit. ''Drilling and Assembly Italian Public Limited Company'') is an Italian multinational oilfield services company and one of the largest in the world. Until 2016 it was a subsid ...
. Saipem took over the running of the vessel though they retained the vessel crew and the shorebased engineering support. Saipem renamed the vessel the ''Saipem 7000''. The vessel continued to work, installing oil and gas production platforms, in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, off the Canadian east coast and the west coast of
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
throughout the nineties. It was also involved in the removal of one platform, the
Esso Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (the phonetic p ...
Odin. During the late nineties Saipem planned an upgrade to the vessels DP system and installation of a J-Lay system.


Projects

The ''Saipem 7000'' has completed 4 J-Lay pipe projects Diana,
Blue Stream Blue Stream is a major trans-Black Sea gas pipeline that carries natural gas to Turkey from Russia. The pipeline has been constructed by the Blue Stream Pipeline B.V., the Netherlands based joint venture of Russian Gazprom and Italian Eni. T ...
, Ormen Lange and
Medgaz Medgaz is a submarine natural gas pipeline between Algeria and Spain. History The idea of building a direct gas pipeline between Algeria and Europe arose in the 1970s. However, the technical limitations at that time prevented the construction ...
, but its main work continues to be heavy lift in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. This includes both platform installation and removal and the addition of modules to existing platforms. It is currently deployed in the North Sea, approximately 27km east of Montrose, Scotland, installing the 114 jacket foundations for Seagreen offshore wind farm.


Lifting and pipelaying records

The ''Saipem 7000'' set the world offshore lifting record of 12,150 tons for the Sabratha deck in the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
. A local record for the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
(Mexican area) was set with the 10,473 tons of the PB-KU-A2 deck. In July 2010, the ''Saipem 7000'' broke another world record by lifting the new BP Valhall Production and Hotel topside of approximately 11,600 tonnes on
Dynamic Positioning Dynamic positioning (DP) is a computer-controlled system to automatically maintain a vessel's position and heading by using its own propellers and thrusters. Position reference sensors, combined with wind sensors, motion sensors and gyrocompass ...
. The previous world record set at Sabratha was performed on the vessel's anchoring system. The first and third records were broken on 7 September 2019 when the ''
Sleipnir In Norse mythology, Sleipnir (Old Norse: ; "slippy"Orchard (1997:151). or "the slipper"Kermode (1904:6).) is an eight-legged horse ridden by Odin. Sleipnir is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional ...
'' lifted the 15,300 ton deck module for Noble's
Leviathan Leviathan (; he, לִוְיָתָן, ) is a sea serpent noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Amos, and, according to some ...
. The ''Saipem 7000'' laid the 24" pipeline for the Blue Stream project between
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
and
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
up to the record depth of 2,150 meters in the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
. This was broken at the end of 2005 by the
Balder Baldr (also Balder, Baldur) is a god in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, Baldr (Old Norse: ) is a son of the god Odin and the goddess Frigg, and has numerous brothers, such as Thor and Váli. In wider Germanic mythology, the god was kno ...
which laid a pipeline in 2,200 meters of water, yet Balder was outbeat herself in 2014 by another laybarge of Saipem, the FDS2, which laid another 24" pipeline in 2,250 meters offshore Brazi


Incident in Norway

On 14 April 2022, the vessel suffered a lifting accident in a
Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...
fjord near
Stavanger Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...
during a planned load of the cranes. The main block wire broke, dropping a barge used as test weight. This caused the vessel to tilt, but was soon stabilized. Nobody was injured during the incident.


References

* *


External links


Official Site

Seven images of the ''Saipem 7000'' in actionSaipem 7000 sets new lifting record for the Gulf of Mexico (March 9, 2007)Saipem during maintenance at Keppel Verolme, Netherlands
{{Commons category, Saipem 7000 (ship, 1987) Crane vessels Pipe-laying ships Coastal construction Semi-submersibles Eni 1986 ships Ships built by Fincantieri