Huge crane delivered to Hinkley Point

Gulliver, the first of two super heavy lift offshore crane vessels, has arrived off the Hinkley Point site in the south west of the UK in preparation for the lifting sequence to install the new nuclear power station’s cooling water system.

Offshore super heavy lifter Gulliver (Photo: EDF)

The second super heavy lift vessel, Rambiz, arrives soon after Gulliver. Both are in the fleet of Scaldis, a subsidiary of DEME Group (Dredging, Environmental and Marine Engineering NV), Jan De Nul and Herbosch-Kiere.

Lifting begins in late July and continues throughout the summer. Gulliver and Rambiz will have a combined lifting capacity of 7,300 tonnes.

Hinkley Point C is getting ready for another major engineering feat with the placement of 5,000 tonne cooling-water intakes on the seabed. Each of the intake heads will feed the water through five miles of tunnels.

Built in 2018 Gulliver is 108 metres long and 49 metres wide. Each of its two cranes has a pair of 1,000 tonne capacity main hoists, giving its 4,000 tonne total. It will lift to a maximum height of 78.5 metres above the deck.

Rambiz, constructed in 1995, is 85 metres long and 44 metres wide. Its two cranes offer a combined total capacity of 3,300 tonnes and have 82 metre booms to give a maximum lift height above the deck of 79 metres.

Ian Beaumont, project director for marine civils at Hinkley Point C, said, “This starts a summer of complex offshore operations, with teams working in collaboration to deliver an incredible feat of engineering. It demonstrates the continued progress being made at Hinkley Point C.”