Living Stone Arrives in Vlissingen for Final Outfitting

DEME Group’s advanced cable lay vessel Living Stone has arrived from Santurtzi in Spain to Vlissingen, the Netherlands, where the vessel will undergo final outfitting before completion, DEME’s spokesperson told Offshore WIND.

The Living Stone is expected to be completed in June after which the vessel will head to its first cable laying assignment at Hornsea Project One in the UK, the spokesperson said.

While in Vlissingen, the Living Stone will be equipped with a dual-lane cable installation system with a total capacity of 10,000 tonnes. The system can install one cable, while fully preparing the second one on deck, minimising the time needed for preparation of the cables.

The system also requires fewer joints when installing cables which reduces the risk of damage to cables, minimising the risk of damaging cables, increasing the vessel’s workability and improving production rates.

Ordered in 2015 from the Spanish shipbuilder La Naval, the Living Stone was initially scheduled to be delivered in the second quarter of 2017. However, La Naval failed to meet several contractual obligations and construction milestones due to financial issues followed by bankruptcy proceedings.

The vessel was eventually moved from the La Naval shipyard in Bilbao to Santurtzi from where it was transported to Vlissingen.