Collaboration is key

It takes skill and guts to operate cranes offshore while dealing with numerous complex hoist maintenance, service, and application variables – combined with handling suspended loads only metres from the open sea. The cost of unscheduled downtime or a lifting incident in the offshore arena is extremely high. Crane hoists are relied on for everything from lifting sup-plies like groceries and water from support boats to handling living quarters, sewer systems, generator buildings, drilling equipment, and other heavy loads. Personnel transport applications present an entirely different level of re-quirements, further elevating the high bar on needs for reliable hoisting per-formance. A hoist that fails or can’t operate as designed due to lack of proper service or maintenance can result in more than productivity losses, fines or penalties, and reputational damage. It can put people’s lives and the entire operation at risk. The number one industry requirement for using and maintaining crane hoists is accountability and trust.

PACCAR Winch has established just that with its network of Authorised Service Cen-tre (ASC) locations worldwide, through close communication and factory training to ensure that industry, manufacturer, and OEM/distributor priorities are aligned.

Lifting offshore

Unlike static land-based environments, the inherent movement of offshore platforms adds to the complexity of even routine tasks. This makes conditions for lifting and lowering less predictable with exposure to severe weather conditions, waves and other dynamic forces. Relative movement of the crane and load, in addition to shock loading and other dy-namic effects, often coincides with offshore crane use. The potential for increased sway necessitates extra caution to prevent near misses and collisions. Wind, a concern for all crane operators, is another critical factor with increased impact offshore. Issues with salt air and corrosion that can lead to abnormal wear in the ocean environment must additionally be addressed to avoid heightened risk of equipment fail-ure. If an incident disrupts normal operations or a crane is required to be taken out of ser-vice, emergency plans and relevant response parties often look first at hoist operabil-ity. Any erratic operation or load control difficulties must be addressed immediately.

Swelling market

The US offshore market is relatively young with significant growth potential. According to Statista Research, the total offshore oil and gas rig count worldwide was 693 as of mid-August 2024. Fortune Business Insights noted the global offshore drilling market size, valued at approximately US$37 billion in 2023, has been projected to grow to over US$74 billion by 2032.

Every offshore structure is different and must be built for adherence to diverse sets of laws, standards, specifications, customs, and contracts. Lifting equipment can be af-fected by material strength, operational conditions, and required maintenance proto-cols. Undetected problems leading to a crane malfunction or failure can result in imme-diate and severe damage and irrevocable consequences. In 2020, inquiries were made concerning the number and severity of lifting incidents in the US Outer Continental Shelf as regulators had been looking for hazards related to the use of cranes on oil and gas platforms and drilling rigs. Approximately 90% of lifting incidents identified by the Bureau of Safety and Environ-mental Enforcement (BSEE) had occurred during what could be considered a routine or a frequently occurring lift for a particular facility or work crew. This directly contributes to why the industry requires documented practices for how safety-and-performance engineered equipment and components are being designed, deployed, operated, adequately serviced, and verifiably maintained.

Nothing routine

For companies committed to maintaining and servicing hoists in offshore environ-ments, the BRADEN ASC network goes beyond just climbing aboard with quick ac-cess to OEM service manuals, parts lists, technical bulletins, up-to-date literature and notifications of critical changes. ASCs are harnessing themselves to the ongoing de-velopment of a safety culture by staying on top of any issues that could be viewed as a prelude to unexpected work stoppage or equipment failure. Regular inspections and maintenance are an integral part of hoist safety standards and recommendations. All OEM, API regulatory, and hoist manufacturer’s guidelines for crane owners, operators and service personnel are designed to ensure the crane is safe to operate or function within the local and global standards. Hoist repair and maintenance record retention practices are required by the industry recommendations. The likelihood of internal wear of components or fatigue wear is reduced by proper inspections and maintenance and repairs that are completed prompt-ly. It also helps to have competent, skilled crane operators or inspectors in the right plac-es, at the right times, working with a common knowledge compass and sense of ur-gency in safe crane operations in the oil industry.

Demanding industry

From the US to the Middle East and Asia, a wide net has been cast through the BRADEN ASC network, providing for 24/7 continuity of service and access to support from anywhere in the world. Each ASC location is subject to periodic inspection and annual auditing to ensure repair record retention practices, validate adequate parts inventories and testing capabilities, and confirm quality assurance programmes are being followed. The requirements stipu-late that at least two BRADEN factory-trained service technicians are part of the team at each location. ASC technicians are trained to prioritise the appropriate technical response measures, developing the confidence to tackle common challenges and troubleshoot even the toughest service situations. Open lines of communication reinforce the consistent pro-vision of documentation and direct hands-on support. The manufacturer ensures digital access is available to critical parts information and technical service documentation aiding safe and productive crane work offshore.

ASC service schools

Only qualified workers may operate rigging, hoisting or lifting devices, and only factory-trained personnel should perform certain maintenance and hoist repair, rebuild, testing, and certification functions. Training as a critical resource, focusing on teaching where to find information rather than memorising it, is a core element of the ASC network. The ability to bridge any gaps between some aspects of technical service training and real-world offshore capa-bilities relies on close communication and partnership.

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