Pioneering Spirit 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. 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. It was built in South Korea by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in 2013 at a cost of €2.6 billion. It commenced offshore operations in August 2016.
Crane ship Pioneering Spirit, Maasvlakte 2, Rotterdam
Detail at bow, showing new name Pioneering Spirit just below obscured original name Pieter Schelte
Carrying a 5,500 t (6,100-short-ton) test platform in the bow slot (Aug 2016)
Six lifting beams, retracted (Jun 2016)
A crane vessel, crane ship, crane barge, or floating crane is a ship with a crane specialized in lifting heavy loads, typically exceeding 1,500 t for modern ships. The largest crane vessels are used for offshore construction.
Lodbrok is a floating crane, here in the harbor of Ystad 2020.
Seagoing monohull with heavy lift luffing and slewing crane
Taklift 4 Sheer-leg barge
Catamaran HLV Svanen with hammerhead crane