Pioneering spirit – a technical masterpiece
The Pioneering Spirit is one of the largest and most impressive ships in the world. Built for the Dutch company Allseas, this colossal vessel is designed to lift and relocate entire production platforms from their jackets in a single operation. With a length of nearly 400 meters and a width of 124 meters, the ship is a floating feat of engineering, playing a crucial role in the installation and decommissioning of offshore platforms. Thanks to its immense lifting capacity, the Pioneering Spirit can raise platform decks weighing tens of thousands of tons in a single move—an operation that previously took months to complete.
The role of Laco in this project
A key component of this ship is the so-called jacks, designed and built by Enerpac. These enormous hydraulic screw mechanisms form the heart of the lifting system, allowing the vessel to raise or lower the massive platform sections. Without these precision components, the Pioneering Spirit could not perform its primary function. Laco was chosen for their expertise and knowledge of highly accurate and reliable lifting and drive systems.
What the jacks actually do
The jacks on the Pioneering Spirit convert hydraulic power into controlled, vertical movement. They lift the weight of entire platform decks through a complex system of support arms and bearing points. Each jack must move exactly in sync, accurate to fractions of a millimeter, to prevent uneven load distribution. A single error could have catastrophic consequences for both the ship and the structure being lifted. The reliability and synchronization of the jacks are therefore critical.
Why building it was so challenging
Building these jacks was an extraordinary challenge. They had to withstand enormous forces and maintain continuous high pressure while operating under harsh offshore conditions: saltwater, vibrations, temperature fluctuations, and heavy loads. In addition, the jacks had to be manufactured with extreme precision; even the smallest deviation in the screw thread or seal could compromise their performance. Combining raw power with absolute accuracy made this project unique in its kind.
A crown jewel of Dutch craftsmanship
Thanks to the successful development of these jacks by Laco/Enerpac, it has been proven that Dutch craftsmanship ranks among the very best in the world. The collaboration between Laco/Enerpac and Allseas resulted in a technical masterpiece admired globally. The Pioneering Spirit is not only a symbol of innovation at sea but also of the ingenious strength of Dutch engineering, with Laco playing a crucial role through its expertise and knowledge in unparalleled jack technology.