BRIMMOND GROUP PARTICIPATES IN FIRST OF ITS KIND MATTRESS RECOVERY CAMPAIGN
Integrated engineering solutions company, Brimmond Group, recently completed a contract which saw one of their fleet marine cranes participate in a mattress recovery campaign in the North Sea.
The Aberdeenshire-based company, which specialises in hydraulic, mechanical and electrical engineering solutions, used its Effer 175000 6s Marine Knuckle Boom Crane to support a five week Subsea 7 project.
Brimmond’s crane was utilised to manoeuvre and stack mattresses on deck which had been recovered from the seabed by the vessels main crane. This meant the job was undertaken at a significantly quicker rate as the cranes only had to focus on their own individual jobs – enabling the project to run safely, efficiently and effectively.
Alan Glennie, Technical Director for the collective of organisations, said:
"Our highly skilled operators and state-of-the-art crane allowed the mattresses to be stacked so well it allowed the piles to be 20% higher, meaning the number of port calls were reduced, saving on overall vessel usage and therefore overall costs. Additionally, as our crane has a remote control, the operator worked closely with the banksman and riggers, increasing safety. As far as we know, this is the first time a marine knuckle boom crane has been specifically mobilised to a vessel for concrete mattress recovery. Overall feedback from our client Subsea 7 was extremely positive."
Prior to the project Brimmond Group engineers carried out a job specific load test and site integration test. The crane, which is the biggest of its type in Europe for hire, has the ability to lift 5350kgs at 21.47 metres, and up to 20650kgs at 7.08 metres. In utilising Brimmond’s crane for the project, Subsea 7 estimated that the project length was reduced by up to 10%.
Alan added: “Our teams of engineers have worked in many different environments and the North Sea is one of the most challenging. Our cranes are fitted with the latest technology to allow us to add a sea state limiting device, which amends the lifting ability of the crane is depending on sea state.
“For this particular campaign we had the device set to Sea-state 4 (SS4), which allows us to operate in up to 2.5m wave height."
From concept to design and manufacture Brimmond Group develops equipment which is safer and more maintenance friendly than any on the market. For this particular job, Brimmond Group’s design engineers modified the base of the crane, reducing the overall footprint by half, once installed.
Alan added: “Through our teams’ operational experience, we have developed a range of engineering solutions with the user in mind, while also delivering a more cost effective, time efficient and safer package.
“We consider every aspect of our clients’ projects from space accessibility to operational integrity and time constraints. Our teams of professionals will work with our clients to establish the best solutions, while also offering a bespoke modification service, to ensure their unique project receives the right package to meet their needs anywhere in the world.”
Brimmond Group, along with its collective of organisations Preffered Marine and Rigrun Europe, offers mechanical, hydraulic and electrical services and equipment covering a wide range of sectors including oil and gas, decommissioning, renewable, marine and oilfield services.
