AMSTERDAM

HEAVEN
of the gigantic pipe-laying vessel, to do the mobilisation
in Amsterdam. This may have seemed impossible in the
past due to the locks but, after careful preparations by all
nautical services providers involved, the passing went
without a hitch.” Ter Haak: “The most difficult challenge we
faced during those 20 minutes was a psychological one.”
A crucial sign was the fact that the crane vessel Conquest
MB1 now has Amsterdam as its home berth for at least
three years. Zwagerman: “It works as a magnet. We were
able to provide Allseas with a 1,400-ton crane capacity,
plus space and two 90-degree quays to facilitate the
Conquest crane. And the mobile cranes on the quays too,
for extra flexibility. The fact that Amsterdam is not a tidal
port also provided the benefit that the meticulous work
could be done continuously. It was a surprise to Allseas
that this was possible in Amsterdam and we immediately
placed ourselves on the map.”
The first quarter of 2016 also saw the complete equipment
for the dynamic positioning vessel Abis Dover, including
a 300-ton crane and a huge ‘vacuum cleaner’ required for
the activities around a wind turbine park in the Baltic Sea.
A third project involved realising hotel accommodations for
60 people on the Conquest MB1, which will be used in the
Gulf of Mexico for half a year. “It does mean we won’t have
access to our crane vessel for six months,” says Zwagerman.
“But during that period, Allseas is allowing us to use the
850-ton Huisman crane on the Solitaire.” Moreover, there is
a constant lifting capacity of 300 tons available. There are
also plans to place a 500-ton crane on a gantry on the deepsea
quay to accommodate project cargo.
Confidence
Amsterdam is now home to a new form of industry,
Zwagerman concludes. “A sector with a high degree of
unpredictability and a need to respond accordingly.
This in turns demands confidence and a lot of flexibility.
Thankfully, people in Amsterdam are quick learners.” Ter
Haak underlines the importance of the new locks to the
North Sea Canal region: “It will enable further growth in this
sector.” •
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AMSTERDAM SEAPORTS 2016 21