Prysmian Orders New Cable Laying Vessel

Vard Holdings Limited reported having been selected by Prysmian Group for the design and construction of one cable laying vessel. The contract value, including owner supplied special equipment, amounts to approximately €170 million (approximately $205 million).

The cable layer is designed by Vard Design in Ålesund, Norway. Vard and Prysmian are currently completing the vessel’s design and according to contract activation scheme the commencement of construction phase is foreseen by end 2018. The vessel is scheduled for delivery from Vard Brattvaag in Norway, in 4Q 2020. The hull will be built at Vard Tulcea in Romania. Several Vard subsidiaries are also involved in the project through deliveries of equipment and solutions.

According to Vard, the specialized vessel is intended to be the most capable cable layer in its market, featuring deep water installation capabilities for depths of more than 2,000 meters and high cable loading capacity in large cable rotating platforms. The cable layer is developed to perform complex installation operations, supported by a variety of burial systems, including heavy duty ploughs, and state-of-the-art positioning and seakeeping systems, coupled with a reduced environmental footprint. With a length of 172 meters, and a beam of 34 meters, the vessel will be able to accommodate a crew of 120 persons.

Massimo Battaini, Prysmian Group SVP Business Energy Project, 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.”

Roy Reite, CEO and Executive Director of VARD, commented, “Our broad experience in the design and construction of several cable layers and other specialized 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.”