Oil States gets heavy

10 May 2012

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Oil States Industries has launched a 500USt marine crane, dubbed Nautilus7000L, to meet the high capacity construction needs of the oil decommissioning and wind power generation markets.

The company is the Arlington, Texas headquartered subsidiary of oil and drilling solutions provider, Oil States International.

Producing the high capacity crane required two years of engineering and manufacturing work, the company said.

Oil States Skagit SMATCO designed the 140ft boom, adjustable to 250 ft, and boom hoists.

Montco Offshore bought the first Nautilus7000L as part of a four-crane package mounted aboard its 335ft-class liftboat, ‘Robert’.

Oil States Industries says Robert is one of the largest pipe leg self-elevating liftboats in the world.

Oil States Industries sized and designed the 7000L to allow the Robert to lift and install offshore wind turbine generators.

In addition to generation, the crane will also be used for platform decommissioning, wireline, crane operations, pipe-laying, diver support platforms, workover and coiled tubing rigs.

With respect to the electronics of the new crane, the PLC control system features dual CPUs, a horsepower management system that matches load, speed and available horsepower across multiple function inputs.

In addition, "Inching Mode" reduces the speed of crane functions to a minimum to enable very precise lifts and installations.

Oil States Industries said the PLC system can detect whether one or more of the motors are operating at maximum power and can make hydraulic system adjustments accordingly in an effort to protect the motors.

Having three 300HP electric motors allows full crane functionality with only two motors, eliminating downtime in the event of a motor failure, the company said.

The order included API 2C monogrammed and ABS cargo gear, a 500USt capacity main hook, and a 25t/50t dual capacity auxiliary hook.

The company fitted the crane with a hydraulic oil filtration system with condition monitoring and alarms. The hydraulic system is easily accessible and self-cooling for 24 hour jobs.

Charles Moses, senior vice president of Oil States, Offshore Products, said: "The 7000L provides increased capacity for the expanding range of offshore activities our customers engage in.

"It has the size and capacity the industry is demanding along with very sophisticated control capabilities for highly precise maneuvers."