Pioneering Spirit

Crane ship Pioneering Spirit, Maasvlakte 2, Rotterdam
History
Name	2014–2015: Pieter Schelte 2015 onwards: Pioneering Spirit
Owner	Societe d'Exploitation Pieter Schelte NV[1]
Operator	Allseas Engineering B.V.
Port of registry	2014–2015: Panama City,  Panama 2015 onwards: Valletta,  Malta
Builder	Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co, Geoje
Yard number	3401
Launched	26 January 2013
Identification	Call sign 9HA4112 IMO number: 9593505 MMSI number: 249110000
Status	In service
General characteristics
Tonnage	403,342 GT[2]
Displacement	365,000 tonnes (transit)[2] 932,000 tonnes (maximum)[3] 1,000,000 tonnes (at maximum draft)[2]
Length	382 m (1,253 ft) (hull) [2] 477 m (1,565 ft) (maximum, including stinger and tilting lifting beams)[2]
Beam	124 m (407 ft)[2]
Draft	10–27 m (33–89 ft)[2]
Depth	30 m (98 ft)[2]
Installed power	8 x 11,200 kW MAN Diesel 20V32/44CR diesel generator sets plus one 5040 kW 9L32/44CR generator set [4]
Propulsion	12 x Rolls-Royce Diesel-electric azimuth thrusters (each 6,050 kW)[4] 12 x Vulkan RATO R R 321YR Couplings[5]
Speed	14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)[4]
Capacity	48,000 tonnes (topsides lift capacity) 25,000 tonnes (jacket lift capacity) 2,000 tonnes (pipelay tensioner capacity)
Crew	Accommodation for 571[4]

Pioneering Spirit (formerly Pieter Schelte) is a catamaran crane vessel owned by the Switzerland-based Allseas Group designed for the single-lift installation and removal of large oil and gas platforms and the installation of record-weight pipelines.^[4][2] The 382-metre-long (1,253 ft), 124-metre-wide (407 ft) vessel is the world's largest vessel by gross tonnage, the heaviest vehicle ever made and since September 2021 also the largest floating sheerleg in the world.^[6] It was built in South Korea by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (now Hanwha Ocean) in 2013 at a cost of €2.6 billion. It commenced offshore operations in August 2016.