Huisman has won a contract from Siem Industries to provide four knuckle boom cranes for two offshore subsea construction vessels currently being built at Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding in China.
The order covers cranes destined for newbuild tonnage intended for subsea construction work, with the vessels under construction at the Chinese yard. Huisman will act as the crane supplier for the project, delivering the knuckle boom units to be installed on the two ships.
Knuckle boom cranes are a common choice for subsea construction vessels because their articulated geometry allows precise load handling over the vessel's side and through the moonpool area, where flexibility in reach and positioning matters more than raw lift height. For a subsea construction ship, the crane is one of the central pieces of handling equipment, working alongside winches and deployment systems to lower and recover tools, structures and hardware to the seabed.
The deal adds to Huisman's order book in the offshore vessel equipment segment, where the Dutch-based supplier competes with other crane and handling system manufacturers for newbuild contracts. For Siem Industries, securing the crane supply is a step forward in the outfitting of the two vessels, which are being built to serve the subsea construction market.
Delivery timing and further technical specifications were not detailed in the announcement. The contract underscores continued activity in the offshore construction vessel segment, where owners are investing in new capacity and equipment suppliers are securing work tied to those newbuild programs.
Source: Offshore Engineer
