AWARDS 2025 | Best OSV Crane Supplier – SMST

SMST is a leading designer and manufacturer of advanced offshore cranes, delivering high-performance modular crane solutions that excel in the demanding offshore wind and energy sectors.

Its comprehensive range includes knuckle boom cranes and 3D motion-compensated cranes with safe working loads from five up to 150 tonnes.

Equipped with sophisticated active heave compensation and full 3D motion compensation systems, SMST cranes maintain exceptional load stability and precision even in significant wave heights, ensuring safe and efficient lifting, lowering, and subsea operations from service operation vessels, commissioning vessels, and construction support ships.

"We believe the main reason vessel owners choose SMST is our modular approach to engineering," Ingmar Otter, Commercial Manager at SMST, told Baird Maritime. "This applies across our entire product portfolio, which includes equipment for personnel access, lifting, drilling, pipelay, and special projects."

"For cranes specifically, modularity means that even when an owner initially selects a motion compensated crane (MCC), it can be converted into an active heave crane (AHC) at a later stage. This conversion works both ways, and can be carried out relatively quickly and at significantly lower cost compared to purchasing a new crane. As a result, owners gain the flexibility to tender for a wider range of projects in both offshore wind and oil and gas, maximising the operational versatility of their vessels.

Otter added that SMST is known for its strong service support throughout the entire lifecycle of the equipment.

"Because all disciplines, from design and engineering to production and lifetime service, are in-house, communication lines are short and response times are fast. This enables us to provide efficient and reliable support whenever service is required, ensuring maximum uptime for vessel owners operating our equipment."

Otter said that in 2025, driven by the strong demand for flexibility from vessel owners, SMST further expanded its crane portfolio. The company introduced the same level of flexibility between MCCs and AHCs in its XL range, which are also the company's largest cranes to date, with lifting capacities of up to 150 tonnes SWL.

"This development allows us to offer both subsea and MCC solutions to a broader market, providing owners with greater operational versatility."

As for the future of the maritime crane industry, Otter believes that the outlook for MCCs will remain strong, particularly in the offshore wind sector.

"While we expect growth in this sector to develop in cycles, with periods of acceleration and slowdown, the long-term trend is clearly upward," he told Baird Maritime. "Offshore wind will continue to be a key driver for advanced crane technology in the years ahead.

"Meanwhile, in the oil and gas sector, we see that the average age of the global fleet equipped with cranes is well above the desired 15-year threshold. Much of the equipment that SMST delivered more than two decades ago is still operating at a high market standard today. This is the result of both the inherent quality of the equipment and the extensive global service and support provided throughout its lifecycle."

Otter remarked that, as a result, the company expects owners to focus on keeping existing equipment operational and up to date for as long as possible in the coming years. At the same time, this ageing fleet will inevitably drive renewed demand for new cranes within the oil and gas segment.

"SMST is well-positioned to support vessel owners in this transition and to ensure that future supply and market demand are well-aligned," Otter concluded.

For a list of the 2025 "Best Of" award winners, please click here.