Obana Jack-Up Vessel Construction - Damen Shipyards Rotterdam

Nine months embedded in an active shipyard, documenting the construction of the world's largest self-propelled jack-up vessel from first steel to christening ceremony and departure.

Project Details:

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THE PROJECT

The Obana is the world's largest self-propelled jack-up vessel—a 230 × 80-meter offshore platform constructed at Damen Verolme Rotterdam, Netherlands—created by merging two existing jack-ups with a new mid-section, equipped with a 2,000-ton crane for North Sea decommissioning operations.

Portside Media documented the entire construction journey at Damen Shipyards Rotterdam. From October 2024 through the vessel's summer 2025 christening, we captured every phase: steel fabrication, hull assembly, crane installation, systems integration, float-out, and final commissioning.

Scope:

  • Film production across nine months of construction

  • Drone operations documenting yard-scale assembly

  • Industrial photography of fabrication and outfitting phases

  • Continuous time-lapse systems tracking daily progress

  • Stakeholder interview production (Damen, Petrodec, contractors)

  • Multi-platform content delivery for communications and stakeholder use

GALLERY

THE CHALLENGE

Multi-Stakeholder Coordination

Every filming decision required alignment across three distinct organizations:

Damen Shipyards – Yard owner, construction lead, facility operations
Petrodec – Vessel owner, project sponsor, decommissioning operator
Multiple Subcontractors – Fabrication, outfitting, crane installation, systems integration

Each had different priorities, timelines, and visual requirements. Our role: operate as neutral documentation partner, capturing the construction story while respecting operational needs across all stakeholders.

Active Construction Environment

The shipyard never stopped. Filming happened around:

  • Heavy crane operations and steel movements

  • Welding, fabrication, and assembly work

  • Material deliveries and logistics coordination

  • Shift changes and weather constraints

Daily coordination with yard supervisors, safety officers, and project managers ensured zero disruption to construction workflows.

Safety and Compliance

Every shoot required:

  • Daily safety briefings and site-specific inductions

  • Drone flight approvals within CTR Rotterdam controlled airspace

  • Port authority coordination for yard access

  • PPE compliance and confined space protocols

  • Risk assessments for elevated filming positions

Night construction operations at Damen Verolme Rotterdam shipyard showing Obana jack-up vessel assembly under illumination. Drone aerial perspective documenting scale of world's largest self-propelled offshore platform.
Construction progress at Damen shipyards Rotterdam Botlek facility. Timelapse photography capturing Obana vessel fabrication phases with yard infrastructure and crane operations visible throughout documentation period.
Large offshore oil drilling platform named OBANA under construction, surrounded by cranes and scaffolding, located in a harbor with water in the foreground and cityscape in the background.
Nighttime view of an offshore oil rig with illuminated structures and cranes, surrounded by water and city lights in the background.
Offshore oil drilling platform named OBANA in the water at sunset, with cranes and structures on the platform and a cityscape in the background.
An offshore oil rig named OBANA illuminated at dusk, with multiple cranes and a cityscape in the background.
Offshore oil drilling rig in a harbor during early evening with a partly cloudy sky and calm water.
Offshore oil platform named OBANA with cranes and support vessels docked nearby, illuminated at dusk with a city and sky in the background.
A large offshore oil rig illuminated with bright lights at dusk, with a helicopter landing pad on the platform and a river and cityscape in the background.
Offshore oil drilling platform named 'Obana' with a ship passing in the water below, in a landscape with trees and buildings in the distance under a cloudy sky.
Nighttime view of an offshore oil platform with a helipad and towering red and white steel structures against a partly cloudy sky.
Oil drilling rig illuminated at night with a cityscape and river in the background.
Nighttime aerial view of a tall oil platform in the ocean, illuminated with yellow, green, and orange lights, with water visible around it.

DELIVERABLES

Visual Documentation:

  • Film production covering full construction timeline (October 2024 – Summer 2025)

  • Drone operations documenting yard-scale assembly and vessel positioning

  • Industrial photography of fabrication phases, outfitting work, and milestone events

  • Continuous time-lapse systems tracking daily construction progress

  • Stakeholder interviews with Damen, Petrodec, and contractor teams

Multi-Platform Content:

  • Edited video content for Damen Shipyards corporate communications

  • Project documentation for Petrodec stakeholder presentations

  • Press materials for christening ceremony and vessel delivery

  • Archival records of the world's largest jack-up vessel construction

Operational Coordination:

  • Daily safety compliance and yard access protocols

  • CTR Rotterdam airspace clearances for drone operations

  • Real-time scheduling adjustments around construction milestones

  • Multi-stakeholder communication across Damen, Petrodec, and contractors

THE RESULT

Damen Shipyards and Petrodec received comprehensive visual documentation of a historic offshore engineering project—the construction of the world's largest self-propelled jack-up vessel, captured across nine months of active shipyard operations.

The Obana successfully completed construction, was christened in summer 2025, and entered service for North Sea platform decommissioning operations. The documentation serves internal communications, stakeholder presentations, press coverage, and archival records of an unprecedented offshore construction achievement.

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From shipyard construction to offshore installations, Portside Media delivers consistent visual documentation across extended timelines—coordinating access, maintaining quality, and adapting to operational realities without disrupting your work.

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