Prysmian Group has started keel laying work on its Leonardo de Vinci cable laying vessel at Vard’s shipyard.
So far, the vessel’s basic design phase has been substantially completed, detail engineering is well in progress, while steel cutting started in May.
The €170m Leonardo da Vinci will be operational by the second quarter of 2021.
Prysmian Group’s Hakan Ozmen said: “The acquisition of €700m Viking Link contract confirms Prysmian’s undisputed market leadership and allows us to pursue opportunities in the submarine cable market, in particular in offshore wind farm.
“Leonardo da Vinci will be the most advanced cable layer in the market and it will dramatically improve the group’s project execution capabilities and ability to support our customers in matching the increasing need for upgrading power grids to support the energy transition.”
Key features include a length of 170 metres, a breadth of 34 metres, deep water installation capabilities for depths of more than 3000 metres, maximum speed above 14 knots, plus two carousels of 7000 and 10,000 tonnes, which ensure the highest carousel capacity in the market, enabling a reduced transportation time from the factory to the site.