Allseas is still considering building a second single-lift platform installation and decommissioning vessel even bigger than the Pioneering Spirit. Spokesman Jeroen Hagelstein told our sister publication Nieuwsblad Transport an investment decision about this second giant is foreseen for 2025.
Originally, the company already announced it would build a second such vessel on the 11th of November 2013 with delivery in 2020. However, the plans seem to have been on the back-burner since then.
Suitable for All Platforms on the North Sea
The second vessel would measure 160 metres wide, where the Pioneering Spirit is "only" 124 metres wide. In a statement at the time, Allseas said this vessel would be able to 'remove all platform topsides in the North Sea which are beyond the capability of Pieter Schelte' (now renamed Pioneering Spirit). The Pioneering Spirit is unable to lift the largest platforms due to its 59-metre "inlet", which is too narrow for these platforms.
Amazing Grace
Allseas' spokesman Hagelstein has now admitted to Nieuwsblad Transport that the company is definitely working on the plans. Even a name has already been chosen: Amazing Grace. He also said the investment decision will be taken around 2025.
Picture: The Pioneering Spirit in the Port of Rotterdam (by Frans Berkelaar).
