Blue Giant returns under H&P's wing

Photo: Jan Meier/Harren & Partner

The Bremen-based shipping company Harren & Partner (H&P) has acquired the offshore construction vessel Blue Giant from the English operator OIG Group.

The almost 180 m-long and 25.4 m-wide ship has a combined crane capacity of up to 700t and one height extended crane up to 60 m. Blue Giant is equipped with the DP2 dynamic positioning system, has a moon pool, a helideck, and a fire fighting system reaching a distance of 180 m. The vessels' cabin block can accommodate up to 200 people.

Blue Giant was built in 2008 to the order of H&P at the Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven. She combines the functions of a dock ship, and ro-ro and heavy lift vessel. After several offshore and salvage projects carried out in the Gulf of Mexico and the US Gulf Coast, she was sold in 2011 to the OIG Group. However, since delivery Blue Giant has been continuously under the technical management of H&R. Lately, during the ice-free summer months of 2017, the ship was used for extensive maintenance and repair work on a gas platform in the Pechora Sea, Russia.

"Although the oil markets are currently still recovering, we have deliberately opted for this investment despite its counter-cyclical nature. Alongside our classic offshore activities, we also wish to further strengthen our position in attractive niche markets such as the salvage business, where this vessel also has possibilities for deployment," Peter Harren, Founder and Managing Director, H&P, explained the strategy behind the purchase.

Martin Harren, Managing Director, H&P, added, "Blue Giant is a cutting-edge vessel which represents an important enhancement of our diversified H&P fleet. It extends our scope of action to provide our customers with comprehensive, yet customised solutions."

"It's a highly adaptable ship that can also be used as an emergency response vessel. There are few things that it can't do," Heiko Felderhoff, Managing Director, H&P, concluded.