Platform and vessel pedestal cranes · SWL at radius and sea state, API Spec 2C and API RP 2D, anti-two-block, class certification, personnel lifting, hazardous-area electrics, load tests
An offshore crane is a slewing crane on a pedestal on a fixed platform, floating production unit or vessel, used to transfer cargo and sometimes personnel to and from supply boats in open sea. Ask three things first: what safe working load at what radius it needs in the sea state of your operation, which design standard, class society and hazardous-area rules it must meet, and which safety devices, tests and records come with it.
Pedestal-mounted offshore cranes (stiff, telescopic, knuckle and lattice boom) for platforms, FSOs, FPSOs and vessels. Shipboard cargo cranes on general cargo ships, port cranes, davits and winches sold separately are outside this page except where compared.
01
OUCO describes two 15T22M stiff-boom offshore cranes built for an FSO vessel in Southeast Asian oil and gas fields, designed to work in seas with wave heights of up to 3 m for cargo transfer between offshore support vessels and the FSO and for personnel lifting. The main hook is rated 15 t SWL at 22 m radius and the auxiliary hook 3.5 t at 23 m, each with 1 t personnel lifting capacity, with explosion-proof electrical systems for hazardous areas. [2]
Editorial calculation: 15 t at 22 m is a load moment of 15 × 22 = 330 t·m, and 3.5 t at 23 m is about 80.5 t·m; ask the supplier for the full load chart and the sea state (wave height) each quoted SWL applies to. [2]
Editorial note: state whether the crane will lift personnel, from which vessels and in what sea state, so the supplier can rate hooks and controls for that duty.
At the heavy-lift end, Huisman describes its Offshore Mast Crane for construction vessels and semi-submersibles with lifting capacity up to 8,000 t, a small rectangular footprint installed on the stern, a high-tensile steel structure needing no ballast, and a deepwater hoist of traction and storage winches with a single-line capacity of up to 300 t, and states that some OMCs are suited to ultra-deepwater work in depths of up to 5,000 m; its references run from 400 t to 5,000 t cranes. [4] Editorial calculation: 300 t on a single line is twenty times the 15 t SWL of the general-purpose FSO cranes above, so the duty class decides the design standard, the vessel integration and the class survey scope; state lift weight, radius, water depth and sea state in the enquiry. [4] [2]
Give the supplier the installation (fixed platform, FSO, FPSO, vessel), pedestal and deck interface, SWL at radius on board and off board, sea states and vessel motions, personnel lifting, hazardous-area zone, power source, climate, design standard and class society, and the tests and documents required.
02
BSEE's rule 30 CFR 250.108 requires all cranes on fixed platforms on the US Outer Continental Shelf to be operated in accordance with API RP 2D (operation and maintenance of offshore cranes) and to have a functional anti-two-block device; cranes on platforms installed after 17 March 2003, and all cranes manufactured after that date and installed on a fixed platform, must meet API Spec 2C (offshore pedestal-mounted cranes). Design and construction records, including anti-two-block installation records, must be kept for the life of the crane, and inspection, testing, maintenance and operator and rigger qualification records for at least four years. [1]
OUCO reports that its cranes meet ABS certification requirements and API Spec 2C, and that at factory acceptance the customer and ABS surveyors inspected structure, welding, hydraulics, slewing parts, wire ropes and explosion-proof controls, followed by static and dynamic load tests of strength, hydraulics, braking, stability and safety functions. [2]
In Europe the design standard is EN 13852-1:2025, listed against the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. It applies to general-purpose offshore cranes with steel structures, including their pedestals and supporting structures, for lifting goods and persons, and covers cranes manufactured after its approval by CEN. It does not cover lifting in ambient temperatures below −20 °C or above 45 °C, floating cranes (EN 13852-2), light offshore cranes (FprEN 13852-3), 2D/3D motion-compensated cranes, subsea lifting, lifts with more than one crane, emergency rescue (except training), or items attached to the hook such as baskets, carriers and lifting accessories. [3]
Editorial note: name the design standard (API Spec 2C, EN 13852-1 or another), class society and test witness in the order, and ask for the documents the operator must keep under the rules that apply offshore where the crane will work. If the crane needs motion compensation or must work outside −20 to 45 °C, confirm which standard covers that, since EN 13852-1 excludes both. [1] [3]
03
The suppliers reviewed list marine and offshore cranes of various boom types; ask each for SWL at radius by sea state, design standard and class certificates, personnel lifting rating, hazardous-area certification, factory acceptance test programme and references.
04
| Part | Role | Fix in the order |
|---|---|---|
| Pedestal and slewing bearing | Support and rotate; pedestal within EN 13852-1 scope. [2] [3] | Interface; bearing. |
| Boom (stiff, telescopic, knuckle) | Reach. [2] | Type; radius. |
| Main and auxiliary hoists | Lift cargo and personnel. [2] | SWL; personnel rating. |
| Wire ropes | Carry load. [2] | Type; certificates. |
| Anti-two-block device | Required safety device. [1] | Fitted; records. |
| Hydraulic and electrical systems | Power and control. [2] | Ex rating. |
05
SWL and outreach have to be read against the sea state they were rated for, and the design-standard row decides which temperature and motion limits apply.
| Field | What it means and published values | Ask the supplier for |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum Lifting Capacity (metric tons) | E.g. 15 t SWL main hook (general purpose); up to 8,000 t (heavy-lift mast crane). [2] [4] | SWL by sea state. |
| Maximum Outreach (meters) | E.g. 22–23 m. [2] | Radius chart. |
| Lifting Height (meters) | Hook travel to vessel deck. | Height; rope length. |
| Power Source | Hydraulic system with explosion-proof electrics. [2] | Power; Ex rating. |
| Motion Compensation | For vessel motions; 2D/3D motion-compensated cranes are outside EN 13852-1. [3] | If fitted; standard applied. |
| Operating Temperature Range (degrees Celsius) | Climate; EN 13852-1 covers lifting from −20 to 45 °C ambient. [3] | Range. |
| Slewing Speed (r/min) | Slewing. | Speed. |
| Hoisting Speed (m/min) | Hoist; personnel speed. | Speeds. |
| Working Wind Speed (m/s) | Operating limit. | Value. |
| Ingress Protection Rating | Marine exposure. | Rating. |
| Crane Weight (t) | Deck loads. | Weight; reactions. |
| Design Standard | E.g. API Spec 2C; EN 13852-1; ABS. [1] [3] [2] | Standard; class. |
06
Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.
Installation: [platform; FSO; vessel; pedestal] Duty: [SWL; radius; on/off board] Sea state: [wave height; motions] Personnel lifting: [yes/no; rating] Hazardous area: [zone; Ex] Compliance: [API Spec 2C; RP 2D; class] Tests: [FAT; load tests; documents]
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Under 30 CFR 250.108, cranes on fixed OCS platforms installed after March 17, 2003 must meet API Spec 2C and be operated to API RP 2D. [1]
Yes for cranes on fixed OCS platforms, under 30 CFR 250.108(b). [1]
It depends on the rating; OUCO describes a 15 t at 22 m crane designed for waves up to 3 m. [2]
EN 13852-1:2025 covers general-purpose offshore cranes with steel structures and their pedestals, for goods and persons, at ambient temperatures from −20 to 45 °C; floating and motion-compensated cranes are excluded. [3]
Sources checked 2026-10-12. 30 CFR 250.108 is a US federal rule for cranes on fixed Outer Continental Shelf platforms; EN 13852-1:2025 is the European design standard for general-purpose offshore cranes; OUCO describes its own project. Rules for your waters and class society apply to your order.
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