Successful installation of offshore crane pendants

FibreMax has recently delivered a complete set of lightweight aramid fibre stays (crane pendants) to the Dutch crane manufacturer Huisman-Itrec. Huisman has built a special purpose 350mT fly-jib for the heavy lift mast cranes on the mv "Happy Buccaneer" of BigLift Shipping. By installing the 17 meter super fly-jib the lifting height and outreach is increased by 50% to respectively 59m above deck and 55m. With the super fly-jib mounted on the "Happy Buccaneer" the crane has a maximum load of 350mT up to 35m outreach and 250mT load at 50m outreach. After installation of the fibre stays the complete fly-jib has been successfully proofloaded and classified by Lloyd's Register.

It is the first time ever that aramid fibre cables are used in such an application. The fibre cables have a rated minimum breaking strength of 9000kN (920mT). Because of the light weight (90% less than steel wire rope) the installation time of the stays and the complete fly-jib is reduced significantly. The stays are maintenance free. They can be man-handled during installation and storage.

The fibre stays comply to the requirements of Lloyd’s Register as specified in the Lloyd’s Code of Lifting Appliances in a Marine Environment. Prior to the delivery FibreMax has successfully performed a break load test on a test stay. For more information on this test click here.

FibreMax lightweight cables are made from aramid Twaron® produced by Teijin Aramid. Aramid fibres are high-performace fibres with unique properties such as long lifespan, low weight, negligible creep, good fatigue properties and good temperature and chemical resistance.

The Heavy Lift Mast Crane concept, a compact and innovative crane design for heavy lifts, was developed by Huisman in 1983. The "Happy Buccaneer" was outfitted with two Heavy lift Mast Cranes in 1984. For more information on Huisman and to read the press release from Huisman, click here.