SSCV Thialf : Unbelievably Big Crane Ship

SSCV Thialf is a very well-known name when it comes to heavy lift crane ships at the sea. Operated by Heerema Marine Contractors, the vessel was originally built in the mid 1980s for the McDermott conglomerate. After 12 years of servicing under their amalgamated company, Heerema absorbed the then- DB-102 and re-christened it as Thialf in the year 1997.

Classified as a DCV (Deepwater Construction Vessel), the crane ship has been equipped with two cranes that offer load lifting capacitance over 14,000 tons. Such a unique construction has made the floating crane, the biggest crane vessel to operate in the offshore areas.

The operational utility of the largest crane is quite varied. Over the course of almost three decades of its existence, the floating crane has helped install upsides of vessel hulls to moorages, pipes, rig-support sparring and various other vital constructional equipments in the high seas.

SSCV Thialf Specifications

– The crane vesselmeasures over 660 feet lengthwise with a breadth of 290 feet

– It has a depth of 162 feet and a maximum draft over 100 feet (minimum draft of 43 feet)

– The floating crane has a gross weight tonnage of over 1, 30,000 tonnes with a net tonnage of slightly over 41,000 tonnes

– A crew of over 700 members can be easily accommodated within the vessel

– Operating speed of the vessel is seven knots

SSCV Thialf Features

The Thialf comes equipped with an array of features like:

– A flight deck for a Boeing Chinook 234 Class chopper

– A Grade III Dynamic Positioning System

– State-of-the-art thrusters to enable the vessel to maintain operational constancy

– Advanced communication systems to carry out its operations successfully

A maximum weight of about 12,000 tonnes can be loaded onto the deck of the crane ship. In simpler terms, every square metre of the deck of the vessel can be loaded with a maximum weight of 15 tonnes.

The name of the vessel looks like a name given to a powerful strong Norse God. But irrespective of any Viking God bearing the name Thialf, it cannot be denied that the biggest crane vessel provides a very powerful and vital support to the contemporary maritime activities in the high seas.

Reference: heerema

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