TTS Marine ASA has been awarded contracts worth NOK 250 million for the delivery of offshore cranes. “We have achieved a breakthrough with the large-scale cranes that are used to lift heavy equipment from the sea floor. The cranes are equipped with technology that ensures that the lifting operation is stabilized, even under rough surface conditions at sea,” says Ivar K. Hanson, Division Manager at TTS Marine Cranes.
TTS Marine has been chosen by Sekwang Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea, as the supplier of two 250-ton cranes equipped with active heave compensation technology, as well as two regular offshore cranes. The state-owned China Oilfield Services in Beijing has also placed an order with TTS Marine for a 150-ton crane for use on a multifunctional offshore vessel. The cranes will be delivered in 2011.
”The Sekwang contract is very promising –literally. In 2007, we made a ‘comeback’ into the market for offshore cranes, and this is the first time we have sold the largest and most advanced cranes in our product range. The contract with China Oilfield Service is also particularly exciting; as it is first time TTS Marine has supplied a Chinese oil company with a large-scale crane. Their project involves building an undersea production vessel and they are using equipment from the world-leaders in the field. We are extremely pleased that they have selected us as their supplier,” says Hanson.
Hanson adds that TTS was also chosen in 2007 as a supplier to the same ship-owner, Gulmar, which is behind the contract with Sekwang Heavy Industries. “This illustrates the fact that our offshore cranes are known both for advanced technology and user-friendliness. We are also selected because our heaviest cranes use less energy than those sold by the competitors.”
The Marine Cranes division at TTS is headquartered in Bergen, Norway, and is the second-largest arm of the TTS Corporation. The backlog of orders for the second quarter this year is approximately NOK 2,560 million.
The branch in Ålesund, along with the support of corresponding Centres of Excellence located in Os and Kristiansand, develops control systems and software for winches for deep-sea cranes. TTS has documented expertise with systems that ensure efficient cargo handling even in very rough seas, or so-called active heave compensation technology.
The fully owned company in Shanghai carries out engineering, project management, assembly and follow-up of deliveries to ship-owners and shipyards in Asian markets outside of China.
”The two new contracts will keep us especially busy, particularly in Bergen and Shanghai for a good while into 2010. Our outlook on the market for large, deep-sea crane equipment is very positive, and we see a future with a lot of potential for TTS,” says Ivar K. Hanson.