FFS Aton's heavy propellers lift

Text: Sveinung W. Jensen, Tellus Kommunikasjon

Bideford Dolphin has been laid up in Djupevika outside Flekkefjord since December 2017, after over 40 years of service in the North Sea. Now the 1975 rig has been sold and is set to be scrapped.

“It will be transferred onto a barge in a heavy lift operation and then towed to Turkey. But before that happens, the two thrusters need to be dismantled and lifted up,” says John W. Nilsen, general manager at Farmar.

EACH PROPELLER or Azimuth Thruster weighs 30 tons. The rig has its own crane on board, but it lacks the reach needed to access the propellers.

“FFS Aton assists in lifting the propellers to the water surface. Then the rig’s own crane takes over and hoists them onto the rig deck,” explains Nilsen.

WITH FOUR CRANES, dynamic positioning equipment, and a loading capacity of 200 tons, FFS Aton can be used for many types of tasks. This spring, it has mostly been used in coastal services, transporting building materials and machinery to local cabins.

Nilsen is pleased that the crane boat has now secured its first offshore assignment.

“We have installed a so-called A-frame with a winch on board FFS Aton for the occasion. It’s tested to lift over 50 tons and has a lifting arrangement with a hook at the end,” says the Farmar CEO, emphasizing that this operation is a good example of the boat’s versatility.

WHEN THE DRILLING rig is to be lifted onto the barge later this summer, Farmar’s tugboats might also be in action.

- We were also involved earlier, when the Bideford Dolphin was laid up in Djupevika.

“We were also involved earlier when Bideford Dolphin was laid up in Djupevika. We handled all the preparations and site setup, including infrastructure like electricity and water, testing bollards, coordinating between the owner and the port authorities, providing bathymetric data for anchoring planning, and assisting with pre-laying anchor systems,” says Nilsen.  

"Now we will assist in the heavy lift operation. Our client is Rig Partner, who is helping the buyer of the rig get it to Turkey", he explains.