Allseas / Equipment / Pioneering Spirit Pioneering Spirit Pioneering Spirit (formerly Pieter Schelte) is the largest construction vessel in the world. Inspired by the offshore heavy lifting pioneer Pieter Schelte Heerema (1908–81) and designed completely in-house, the vessel is designed for the single-lift installation and removal of large oil and gas platforms and the installation of record-weight pipelines. The emergence of Pioneering Spirit signifies a step-change in offshore installation and decommissioning. Capable of lifting entire platform topsides of up to 48,000 t and jackets up to 20,000 t in a single piece, she significantly reduces the amount of offshore work associated with installation and decommissioning, moving the work onshore where it is safer and more cost effective. Record breaking vessel Built at the DSME shipyard in South Korea (2011–14), the vessel commenced offshore operations in 2016 with removal of the 13,500 t Yme production unit offshore Norway. The vessel redefined heavy lifting with the single-lift removal of Shell’s iconic 24,000 t Brent Delta platform topsides from the North Sea in April 2017 - a world record for an offshore lift. In June 2018 Pioneering Spirit executed the fastest installation of a large, fully completed topside, and heaviest single-lift installation to date, when it set down Equinor’s 22,000 t Johan Sverdrup DP topsides on its jacket offshore Norway. The twin-hulled vessel is 382 m long and 124 m wide. At the bow is a slot, 122 m long and 59 m wide, that enables Pioneering Spirit to move around a platform and lift and transport entire topsides using eight sets of horizontal lifting beams. For jacket removal and installation, two 170 m long lifting beams, which can rotate on hinges, will be located at the vessel’s stern. Complementing the lifting systems is a 5000 t special purpose crane for additional lifts such as lighter topsides and jackets, modules and bridges. In the summer of 2021, Pioneering Spirit surpassed the 200,000 tonne mark for lifted platform weight. Versatile under different circumstances Pioneering Spirit’s large ship size gives her very good wave response behaviour, superior to semi-submersible crane vessels in operational wave conditions; topsides and jackets can be installed or removed in significant wave heights of up to 3.5 m. While the vessel moves due to wave action, all motions relative to the platform are eliminated by engaging the active motion compensation system, which enables Pioneering Spirit to make large lifts in hostile seas. Eight diesel generators provide 95 MW of power, driving 12 azimuth thrusters for dynamic positioning (DP3) and propulsion. Pioneering Spirit’s can sail under her own power at a high transit speed, making her suitable for worldwide use. Operating on full dynamic positioning, she can work accurately in any water depth, while her light ice class will extend the periods in which she can operate in Polar Regions. Also built to install record-weight pipelines in all water depths, with an S-lay tension capacity of 2000 t, she surpasses Solitaire as the world's largest pipelay vessel. Pioneering Spirit commenced pipelay operations on the TurkStream project in the Black Sea in summer 2017. Despite laying 32-inch pipe at depths of 2200 m, she consistently averages 5 km per day. Never before has such large-diameter pipe been laid at such depths. Iron Lady To transfer topsides to or from Pioneering Spirit, Allseas uses its 200 m long, 57 m wide cargo barge Iron Lady. In case the water depth at the quayside is too shallow for Pioneering Spirit, topsides are first loaded onto the barge for transfer to or from the yard. Topsides transfers between Pioneering Spirit and the barge takes place in sheltered waters close to the yard. Bumblebee When Pioneering Spirit is required for topsides lift work, the pipelaying stinger is removed from the bow section of the vessel and stored on the purpose-built barge, Bumblebee. Pioneering Spirit projects and Allseas' other equipment Read more about projects executed by Pioneering Spirit: Saint-Nazaire module installation Buzzard Phase II module Valhall QP lower jacket removal Morecambe Bay topsides removal Ninian Northern topsides removal Tyra redevelopment project Brent Alpha platform removal Valhall QP topsides removal Brent Bravo topsides removal Nord Stream 2 pipeline Johan Sverdrup LQ topsides installation Johan Sverdrup P1 topsides installation Johan Sverdrup DP topsides installation Brent Delta topsides removal Yme topsides removal Lean more about Allseas' vessels and equipment. Technical design Vessel specifications Length overall (incl. tilting lift beams and stinger) 477 m (1,565 ft) Length overall (excl. tilting lift beams and stinger) 382 m (1,253 ft) Length between perpendiculars 370 m (1,214 ft) Breadth 124 m (407 ft) Depth to main deck 30 m (98 ft) Slot length 122 m (400 ft) Slot width 59 m (194 ft) Topsides lift capacity 48,000 t Jacket lift capacity Safe working load of 20,000 t, with six lifting blocks of 5000 t each Operating draught 10-27 m Maximum speed 14 knots Displacement 1,000,000 t (at maximum draught) Total installed power 95,000 kW Thrusters 12 x 6050 kW azimuth Dynamic positioning system Fully redundant, class 3 Kongsberg K-Pos DP-22 and 2 x cJoy system Accomodation 571 persons Helideck Maximum take-off weight 12.8 t, suitable for Sikorsky S-61 and S-92 helicopters Deck cranes Special purpose crane of 5000 t Special purpose crane of 600 t 3 x pipe transfer cranes of 50 t Work stations Double-joint factory, with 5 line-up stations and 2 stations for combined external/internal welding Firing line with 6 (double joint) welding stations, 1 NDT station and 6 coating stations Installed tension capacity 4 x 500 t (4 x 1100 kips) Pipe cargo capacity 27,000 t Pipe diameters From 2" to 68" OD Classifications 100 A1 Heavy lift and heavy cargo ship, upper deck aft of frame 43 strengthened for load of 15 t/m²; helicopter landing area, LA, *IWS, LI, EP (B, G, N, O, P, S), ice class 1C FS , DP (AAA), PSMR* with following descriptive note: Pipelaying vessel ShipRight BWMP (S+F), split bow forward of frame 99 Port of registry Valletta Video gallery 5 Years of Pioneering Spirit Pioneering Spirit fly around Pioneering Spirit removing the Yme topsides Photo gallery Pioneering Spirit projects Allseas Homepage Company Sustainability Projects Careers Contact Equipment Pioneering Spirit Solitaire Audacia Lorelay Tog Mor Fortitude Oceanic Pipe supply vessels Welding equipment Small equipment Subsea equipment Activities Pipelines and subsea Heavy lifting Innovations Fabrication Deep-sea polymetallic nodule collection River plastics removal Careers Onshore Offshore Students Our stories Vacancies Job mail How to apply Meet us © 2021 Allseas | Disclaimer | Privacy policy