Cranemaster Tests New PHC’s Mettle at Rampion OWF

Cranemaster, a provider of passive heave compensators (PHC) and shock absorbers for offshore lifts, has extended its fleet of units with a new passive PHC, which is the world’s largest, according to the company. 

Safe working load (SWL) for the new unit is 1,000T and maximum stroke length is 4,000mm. The unit itself weighs more than 60T.

The new PHC debuted during installation of monopiles at the Rampion offshore wind project off the south coast of England, where it was preventing interruptions and damage caused by pile runs.

“As offshore installations have become more complex and structures heavier, we have responded to the demand for higher capacity by developing the world’s largest PHC,” Oddbjørn Bergem, CEO of Cranemaster.

The new unit comes with a control system that adapts to the various lifting phases during operations, leading to optimized performance for each stage of the lift, which is particularly useful for deep water operations and splash zone crossing of demanding structures, Cranemaster explained. The ability to give optimal performance allows this unit to complete subsea lifts in higher sea states than a traditional PHC, the company said.