Prysmian Group has selected Norwegian shipbuilder Vard to design and construct a new cable-laying vessel.
The contract, which is worth €170m, is for a 172-metre long vessel with advanced cable laying capabilities in depths of up to 2000 metres.
The ship will have a variety of burial systems, including heavy duty ploughs, and be able to accommodate a crew of 120 people.
Vard and Prysmian are currently working on the design of the vessel and expect to start construction by the end of the year.
Delivery of the ship is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2020.
The hull will be built at Vard Tulcea in Romania. Several Vard subsidiaries will also be involved in the construction, the company said.
Vard chief executive Roy Reite said: “Our broad experience in the design and construction of several cable layers and other specialised vessels over the years, combined with Prysmian’s know-how and established experience in advanced submarine cable operations, have been of high value in the development process.
“We look forward to building this cutting-edge cable layer in close cooperation with our new customer.”
Prysmian senior vice president of business energy projects Massimo Battaini said: “This new strategic asset will consolidate Prysmian Group’s leadership in the submarine cable industry, by bolstering turnkey approach, under which we deliver end-to-end EPCI projects, from engineering, manufacturing and installation to full monitoring and diagnostic services.”
Prysmian already has three vessels in its fleet – Giulio Verne (pictured), Cable Enterprise and Ulisse.
Image: Prysmian
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By EBS