Damen Vlissingen stretches jack-up’s legs

Rowan Viking arrives at DSV

JUNE 20, 2014 — Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen (DSV) in the Netherlands has been chosen to upgrade the Rowan Companies jack-up Rowan Viking for a new contract with Lundin Petroleum in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.

Delivered in 2011, Rowan Viking is a Keppel Fels N class drilling rig and work at DSV will include Special Periodic Survey (certification extension) and various safety modifications to bring it into compliance with Norwegian regulations.

The contract with Lundin will require the jack-up to work in deeper waters and its 170 m legs will be extended to 180 m.

As the leg extension work will involve working at great heights, the shipyard has contracted Palfinger Systems to use its unique JUMP (Jack Up Maintenance Platform) systems — platforms that can be built around, and moved up and down, the legs.

Mammoet’s largest PTC cranes will be used to hoist the 120-tonne leg extensions. The crane will be more than 200 m high (nearly four times the height of the covered dock at the shipyard in Vlissingen).

To make room for the crane, DSV has moved its warehouse, demolishing the warehouse itself and building a special foundation that can handle the high ground pressure of 30 t/sq.m that the crane will create.

The contract is being supervised by Damen Shiprepair & Conversion’s Offshore & Conversion task force team.

“This is a unique project. A leg extension of this magnitude has never been done using this method at DSV,” says Commercial Manager Bas Loohuis. “Using the Palfinger systems and the Mammoet crane will enable us to carry out other work while the legs are being extended, which will translate into a significant improvement in turnaround time.”
 
The Rowan Viking will be at the shipyard for approximately 130 days.