Ever since we started operating in Venezuela in 1948, HMC has been committed to meeting challenges in the offshore oil and gas industry.
1948 – 1960 – Innovator from the start
Heerema started in 1948 as a small construction company near Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. The company specialized in the construction and installation of drilling platforms for oil companies operating in Lake Maracaibo. In 1956, Heerema developed a pre-stressed concrete pile, which proved a successful technical and economic breakthrough. In the following years, Heerema placed some hundred drilling and construction platforms in Lake Maracaibo and the Caribbean, along with a substantial number of concrete piers, quays and bridges.
1960 – 1978 – Crane vessel pioneer on the North Sea
In the early 1960s Heerema’s focus shifted to the development of oil and gas fields in the North Sea, a challenging work environment because of the extreme weather conditions and heavy seas. From 1963 onwards, Heerema started operating crane vessels because they provided more capacity and stability to modules and jackets growing in size and weight. In 1969 Heerema provided the capacity to lift 800 tonnes with its ship-shaped crane vessel ‘Challenger’, an absolute industry milestone at the time. The use of crane vessels enabled the construction of fewer, but heavier units which proved to be an enormous financial advantage to oil companies because it drastically reduced the number of offshore hours. Oil and gas fields could produce ‘first-oil’ more rapidly.
1978 – 1980 – The World’s First Semi-Submersible Crane Vessels
Crane ships and barges operating on the North Sea were still quite sensitive to wave movements and this made operations in the winter months almost impossible. To enhance their heavy lift capacity, Heerema researched applications of the ‘semi-submersible’ principle. When an important part of the hull of a vessel is submerged, the vessel and construction work are less sensitive to waves. In 1978, Heerema introduced the world's first semi-submersible crane vessels (SSCVs), sister vessels Balder and Hermod. Their innovative dual-crane feature propelled Heerema to industry leader. Installations which used to require an entire summer season to complete, could now be ready in less than six weeks.
1980 – 1997 – Joint Venture HeereMac
The SSCVs ensured lots of work in the North Sea and offshore Brazil in the beginning of this decade. Low oil prices in the mid-1980s postponed investments by oil companies and the workload thinned. Heerema and McDermott, an engineering and construction company, pooled their resources in a joint venture called HeereMac to stay afloat during this economic downturn.
1997 – 2000 – HMC acquires SSCV Thialf
The year 1997 was a turning point in the history of the Heerema Group when the HeereMac joint venture was terminated and operations continued under the name of Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC), an specialist division within the Heerema Group. HMC acquired the SSCV "Thialf" (ex DB-102) from McDermott. HMC now owned and operated three of the world’s five SSCVs.
In the meantime, the offshore oil and gas industry increased its focus on developing fields in water depths up to 3,000 meters. To remain competitive in deepwater development and transformed the SCCV Balder into an advanced deepwater construction vessel (DCV Balder).
2002 – present – Staying Ahead
The last decade has seen the execution of many remarkable projects and world records have been set, particularly in deepwater. HMC has firmly established a leading position in deepwater full field development including subsea infrastructure, in addition to its conventional construction, installation and removal services.
In 2008, HMC acquired specialist welding company Pipeline Technique Ltd. to reinforce its presence in the deepwater pipelay market.
Currently, HMC is constructing a new vessel, the Aegir, due to be operational in 2013. The Aegir, a deepwater construction vessel (DCV), will be capable of executing complex infrastructure and pipeline projects in ultra-deep water and will also have sufficient lifting capacity to install fixed platforms in relatively shallow water.
We are committed to continue to meet the challenges in the global oil and gas industry in the years ahead.