Palfinger Marine Wraps Up A Year Of Innovation And Progress
Last year in May, we caught up with project manager Pawel Safian to discuss the progress of our frame agreement to become the main supplier of state-of-the-art, fully electric offshore cranes for all newbuilds of long-time customer and partner Aker BP. Back then, PALFINGER MARINE’s first electric wall running jib crane (TKJe) had just passed its factory acceptance test (FAT) with flying colors ahead of schedule. Additionally, the electric jib crane (DKJe) for Hugin B within the Yggdrasil area had arrived at the test stand. As we step into the new year, we figured it’s time to check in on this exciting project once more.
A TEAM EFFORT BY AN EXTRAORDINARY GROUP
The order includes a total of 7 fully electric cranes – 3 DKJe jib cranes, 2 TKJe wall running jib cranes, and 2 DKWe wire luffing cranes – for the Yggdrasil and Valhall oil fields. To find out which milestones we have reached during the last few months, we sat down with lead project manager Thomas Imbert. As the coordinator of all deliveries and installation commissioning phases, he is definitely best placed to provide interesting insights.
Right off the bat, Thomas is eager to make one thing very clear: “This is a gigantic project featuring pioneering, remotely operated offshore cranes that push the limits. More than 300,000 manhours in, I cannot stress enough how important team effort was and still is. The testing personnel, our colleagues in electrical engineering, and the punch closing task forces, for example, have shown extraordinary commitment, working day and night – even at the weekend. Their stellar work has made it possible to remain spot on schedule.”
On the home stretch
“We have made considerable progress in the second half of the year,” Thomas explains. “The jib crane for the Valhall PWP-Fenris development project has been successfully delivered in October and installed at the Verdal shipyard in Norway,” he shares. When asked about what happens with the crane after delivery, Thomas explains: “We assist in electrical hookup, power up, final acceptance tests, and preparations for the platform transport to the offshore site.”
Its counterpart for the Hugin B field was being transported to the yard in December. “We electrically disconnected the crane from the test stand, lifted it off and loaded it on the vessel. It left for Verdal shipyard on December 10,” describes Thomas. The ongoing testing campaign involves the FAT for all remaining cranes that are part of the order. These tests take place in the PALFINGER MARINE shipyard in Gdynia, Poland. The FATs for the wall running cranes have been completed, the jib cranes are currently at our custom-made assembly site for the project. The wire luffing cranes (DKW) are in the final stage after testing, with all deliveries to Stord, Norway, on track early this year. Those cranes are the largest fully electric cranes built at the production site in Poland. They have an outreach of 60 meters and a lifting capacity of up to 70 tons.
The remaining testing will be finalized soon, paving the way for the delivery of all cranes in the first quarter of 2026. PALFINGER MARINE will then further support Aker BP in three different shipyards across Norway, located in Haugesund, Stord, and Verdal. “The final milestone is the offshore delivery in April 2026. We can’t wait,” Thomas beams.
Hard work earns just reward
The last few months have been particularly intense. “Complexity arises from details,” Thomas muses. “Delivering punch free demands close coordination and peak performances across all disciplines involved.”
The reward for these herculean efforts is customer satisfaction. While delivering within agreed timeframes is standard for PALFINGER MARINE, the vastness of the project is still a challenge to which our esteemed colleagues love to rise. The feedback from the customer is overwhelmingly positive.
We are incredibly proud of our achievements as one team that always pulls in the same direction.
A lasting alliance
The success of this long-lasting cooperation is demonstrated, for example, in the AKBP award, that has been given to us and the other companies contributing to the production of these cranes. Besides, we have recently been chosen as an Operation Alliance partner by Aker BP. Operation Alliances are strategic partnerships between Aker BP and key equipment suppliers with a view to collaborating on specific projects. Their aim is to achieve common goals, such as improving efficiency, reducing costs, and creating value through integration, technology, and innovation. Instead of traditional service agreements, they are entering into long-term partnerships, working as one team, with shared incentives and clear value drivers. The initiative is based on data sharing, open work processes, and the development of digital solutions for improved monitoring, precise maintenance and more efficient production.
PALFINGER is now also part of Operation Alliances, particularly focusing on the service aspect. As part of “Reach Higher” – our Strategy 2030+ – the expansion of the service business will play a crucial role for our strategic development over the next years. It is an honor to be selected from one of our biggest customers to cooperate on such a high level. This shows that we are on the right track in “Lifting Customer Value”. By understanding our customers, we are turning their needs into seamlessly integrated solutions and creating added value.
The future is remote
We share the pride everyone involved takes in the achievements that were made and milestones that were reached since the Aker BP order contract was finalized back in 2022. Years of engineering, building, and testing resulted in the first fully electric, remote operated offshore cranes. On that note, PALFINGER MARINE is currently conducting extensive remote operation tests via a fully functional operator chair at our site in Bergen, Norway, with dull remote connection to the cranes at our production facility in Gdynia. We’ll have more for you on that topic down the line as this incredible journey continues.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates on the next project-related milestones!