Vard Wins Order to Build Cable Layer for Mystery Owner

Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri announced its Vard subsidiary has secured an order to design and build a new cable laying vessel for an unnamed "international shipping company".

The ship will be built entirely by the Vard network, including the main systems and equipment, for scheduled delivery in 2024, Fincantieri said.

At approximately 95 meters long, the vessel will have a total of 3,700 tons of cable installation equipment, 60 single cabins, DP2 positioning and seakeeping system. The ship will have a bollard pull in excess of 60 tons and will be able to reach speeds of 14 knots.

Pierroberto Folgiero, Fincantieri CEO, noted that the order comes close on the heels of another contract for Vard to build four commissioning service operation vessels (CSOV) for Edda Wind in the offshore wind sector.

“We believe that this market has very promising growth outlook, as it channels global macro-trends such as digitalization, energy transition and technological primacy, which the group has identified as cornerstones for looking to the future in a systematic way,” Folgiero said.

Vard is also currently building Van Oord's new cable laying vessel Calypso for scheduled delivery later this year, as well as another new cable layer for the Prysmian Group for delivery in 2025, similar to the Leonardo da Vinci delivered to the same customer in 2021.