Recently, the world's largest ship Pioneering Spirit docked in the Alexiahaven of the Second Maasvlakte. Designed by the Dutch-Swiss Allseas Group and built at the Daewoo yard in South Korea, it will now be finished in the Netherlands over the next four months. Geha Laverman, known as the wear parts supplier of the Netherlands, built a crucial part of the equipment of this 382-metre-long salvage vessel in its workshops in Zaandam.
Hardox HiTuf steel, sourced from Swedish steel producer SSAB, was chosen for the giant rail system, on which the lifting machines with gripper arms that will lift the decommissioned oil rigs will move.
The Allseas Group chose Geha Laverman, Europe's largest Hardox Wearparts Centre, because it boasts over 30 years of experience in processing the Swedish Hardox steel in components of earthmoving machinery in particular.
Hardox HiTuf has been specially developed for abrasion applications where very extreme demands are placed on fracture resistance and toughness.
Theo van Schie, managing director of Geha Laverman says: "Back in 2012, we completed this mega job, processing 680 tonnes of Hardox during no less than 8000 man hours. I look back with great pleasure on this fantastic offshore project where we were able to show how closely we can work with our customers in the development of wear products. Allseas Group came with a requirements package as thick as the thickest Hardox steel plate (160 mm), but we were able to meet it down to the last line.'
The Pioneering Spirit will choose the estuary for a long time in mid-2015. To recover oil platforms there - as its main mission. Starting with three on the so-called Brent field in the North Sea. It will also be deployed in the construction of oil and gas pipelines.