SCALDIS, the Belgian subsidiary of DEME, Jan De Nul Group and Herbosch-Kiere, in cooperation with BOA Offshore, successfully completed the salvage of the Norwegian frigate ‘KNM Helge Ingstad’ last Sunday. SCALDIS developed a revolutionary lift method especially for this project, by combining its two heavy lift vessels ‘Rambiz’ and ‘Gulliver’.
On 8 November of last year, the Norwegian frigate collided with the tanker ‘Sola TS’ in the vicinity of Bergen and sank on the inclined slope of a fjord. The Norwegian marine called on the expertise of Scaldis and BOA Offshore to salvage the shipwreck.
Revolutionary lift method
Especially for this project, SCALDIS developed a revolutionary lift method by combining its two heavy lift vessels: ‘Rambiz’, equipped with two cranes and a total lifting capacity of 3,300 tonnes, and the new heavy lift vessel ‘Gulliver’, also with two cranes and a total lifting capacity of 4,000 tonnes. With this unique “Double Duo Lift” method, SCALDIS has a combined total lifting capacity of 7,300 tonnes at its disposal.
This made it possible to lift the 133-metre long and 5,500-tonne heavy frigate in one piece. In fact, the synchronous functioning of the four cranes allows to lift the wreck in one continuous operation and to move it into a horizontal position.
