The Turkish Gambit: How the PALFINGER Team Won the Race Against Time
When an impossible deadline met offshore reality, PALFINGER teams across Europe made a bold call – turn pressure into precision and deliver massive cranes against the clock.
The official project kick-off in February 2025 came with a clear mandate from the customer: to deliver two massive DKF 1600 Knuckle Boom Cranes for the Osman Gazi – Turkey’s first floating natural gas processing platform – within only 13 months.
“Time is the only commodity in offshore engineering that you cannot manufacture. From the very first second of the project, the clock was already at a sprint,” says Michal Rzytelewski, Marine Project Manager at PALFINGER, based in Bergen, Norway, as he recalls the beginning of the project. Yet, with a clear strategy, strong coordination, and expertise spanning Norway, Slovakia, and Sweden, the PALFINGER team was ready to challenge the calendar together.
The Osman Gazi is a floating natural gas processing platform operated by Turkey’s state energy company Turkyie Petrollei Anonim Ortaklığı (TPAO). It is designed to process extracted gas directly at sea, supporting the development of Black Sea gas fields. Contracted by Global Offshore Engineering (GOE), PALFINGER delivers the knuckle boom cranes required on the platform to safely lift and move heavy equipment, materials, and components. Once installed, they enable supply operations as well as maintenance and repair work under demanding offshore conditions.
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The Continental Engine
Given the tight schedule, PALFINGER leveraged its strengths to deliver. The company brought together a Central and Northern European team with the expertise needed to deliver under pressure.
While Michal coordinated the moving parts from Norway, the project’s engineering heart beat in Slovakia. “There, mechanical and structural engineers Petr Benes and Patrick Dana laid the foundation for these machines, while Martin Kren and Juraj Gulas wired their hydraulic nerves with surgical precision,” Michal explains.
However, engineering and planning were only the first steps. The real "trial by fire" took place during the fabrication and assembly phase. The team didn't waste a single hour. To meet the tight deadline, they moved immediately, coordinating a complex web of steel fabricators, ensuring they had the primary steel ready for assembly at PALFINGER MARINE POLAND (PMP) in Gdynia.
Yet not only time was a challenging factor. The PMP facility was a beehive, still humming with the final stages of another essential project. “Resources were thin, space was a luxury, and we were in a literal collision with the assembly schedules of another demanding DKJ 500e crane project for another customer. Assembling multi-ton components in those conditions has become a complex logistical challenge. It only succeeded because of the incredible flexibility and mutual support of the production team of PMP on the ground,” Michal emphasizes.
A Third Crane Ordered
Building on a foundation of strong trust and exceptional cooperation, the project's scope seamlessly expanded as Global Offshore Engineering awarded PALFINGER additional contracts for massive 20-meter pedestals, boom rests, and a third crane for the Osman Gazi. Driven by immediate urgency and precision engineering, the PALFINGER team masterfully coordinated multiple fabrication paths to protect strict deadlines. This agile strategy completely paid off, not only meeting the project's massive scale but also carving out enough time to successfully complete full Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) in Poland.
The Narrow Window of Testing
The climax of the project occurred on the testing floor in Gdynia. Testing and Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) for the first crane successfully run in parallel with the DKJ 500e crane for the Bałtyk 2 offshore wind farm. The FAT for the second crane was completed moments before the final preparation for dispatch.
During these testing days, the PALFINGER team hosted GOE representatives as well as the certification and inspection expert of Det Norske Veritas (DNV). “It was a grueling schedule, but performing these tests in Gdynia was a strategic win. It allowed us to solve every potential technical hurdle in our own workshop before delivery,” says Michal.
The Horizon Ahead
This project marks an important milestone in the cooperation between PALFINGER and GOE. The delivery of the first two cranes under such tight conditions demonstrates what true partnership and international teamwork can achieve.
Very soon, the Osman Gazi will sail off with PALFINGER equipment on her decks – a testament to what happens when commitment meets action. These cranes will stand as a strong contribution to the TPAO fleet, delivered by people who stayed focused as momentum built to create added value for their customers.
“As the Project Manager, I could set the course in this challenging project. But the team was the engine that drove us there,” Michal Rzytelewski says with a smile. It shows that at PALFINGER, we don’t set the pace – our customers do. And we deliver. Always.