Sarens Replaces the Crown Mounted Compensator atop the Drilling Ship Ocean Blackrhino
Sarens installed the crown mounted compensator (CMC) for the drilling ship at the Astican Deepwater Quayside facilities in Spain. 
12
October 2021

Sarens was commissioned by our client Astican on behalf of Diamond offshore and Carol to replace the crown mounted compensator (CMC) for the drilling ship – the Ocean Blackrhino at the Astican Deepwater Quayside facilities at the Reina Sofía Quay, Las Palmas de Gran Canarias in Spain.

A CMC compensator allows the drilling ship to maintain constant drilling pressure despite the tidal fluctuations in the sea. The device is large in size and weighs more than 200T and is located at the top of the drilling tower making its assembly and installation crucial and challenging. 

Sarens 1350T LR11350 with SDB 138m configuration was proposed by the team to work on the project. The crane was shipped from Denmark to Las Palmas in seven days and assembled in precise 3.5 days by our team working day and night. According to Sarens Project Manager, Bram Van Overwalle, “The mobilisation of the crane was a challenge for us. Due to bad weather the shipment got delayed. The crane had to necessarily start working on the project by February 23rd and the team had only 4 days left to assemble the crane.” He adds, “Thanks to our motivated and experienced crew on-site and support from Astican we completed the assembly of the LR11350 in 3.5 days working in day and night shifts.”

The CMC weighed 250.4T and was lifted on a radius of 37m and a lifting height of 120m. Since the crane was working on the vessel it was crucial to balance the movement caused by the tides to ensure the safety of the equipment and the crew. The ground bearing capacity was also a challenge which was adjusted with the help of our client. 

The Astican Ship Manager, Alejandro Vera remarked, “The performance of the crew is incredible. Sarens is working in smoothly, safely, and swiftly”.