Calibration of the ‘Horseshoes’ on Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit

Allseas was preparing for an intensive lifting season, during which the Pioneering Spirit removes the topsides of offshore platforms in a single operation. The so-called ‘horseshoe’ lifting systems play a key role in this and must function accurately under all circumstances. This places high demands on the system’s instrumentation and calibration. The challenge lay in reliably simulating and measuring the load conditions, so that the performance of the lifting system could be demonstrated to be within specifications. The aim was to ensure the systems were fully calibrated, validated and ready for operation.

EMHA was commissioned to carry out the complete instrumentation and calibration. During the calibration process, a representative vertical load was applied by controlled hoisting of a partial weight of the Allseas barge Iron Lady. In order to record this load accurately, EMHA deployed two specially designed load monitoring systems that enabled both horizontal and vertical forces to be measured continuously.
In addition, our specialists installed an extensive network of measurement points on various dynamically loaded structural components of the lifting system. This configuration made it possible to analyse and validate the force distribution and structural response in detail under realistic conditions.

The ‘horseshoe’ lifting systems have been fully calibrated and validated for use during complex offshore lifting operations. Thanks to precise measurements and robust instrumentation, Allseas has a reliable understanding of how the systems behave under load.
This directly contributes to the safety, predictability and efficiency of single-lift installations using the Pioneering Spirit. Through this work, EMHA has played a key role in preparing the world’s largest construction vessel for large-scale and technically demanding offshore projects.