Prysmian Places Order for New Cable Layer with VARD

November 23, 2022, by Nadja Skopljak

Italian cabling giant Prysmian Group is investing approximately EUR 200 million in a new cable-laying vessel which will be equipped with a battery pack for a total power of 3 MW.

The new 170-metre-long vessel will be built by the VARD Group, a subsidiary of the Fincantieri Group, just like Leonardo da Vinci which was delivered last year.

It is set to be fully operational by the first quarter of 2025 and is expected to reinforce Prysmian’s project execution capabilities and its engineering, procurement, construction, installation (EPCI) approach.

According to the company, the new vessel will have green credentials, high cable load capacity and navigation speed that will significantly reduce the number of cable installation campaigns needed, enabling an overall decrease in CO2 emissions and a reduction in fuel consumption of approximately 40 per cent compared to a traditional cable-laying vessel.

In addition, the vessel’s green engines are expected to cut NOX emissions by 85 per cent.

“The new vessel will be definitely a game changer in strengthening our installation capabilities and supporting our leadership position in the interconnection and offshore wind farm markets, while ensuring on-time delivery and execution,” said Hakan Ozmen, EVP Project BU at Prysmian Group.

“This new vessel is in addition to Leonardo da Vinci and the other cable-laying vessels in our existing fleet, and from now on it will support the Group’s long-term growth in the submarine cable installation business, which is constantly evolving.”

With substantially the same hull as Leonardo Da Vinci, the cable-laying vessel will also be equipped with similar cable installation equipment, such as a first laying line with a capstan suitable for deep water installation at over 3,000 metres, a second independent laying line with linear cable engines in order to increase operating flexibility, two carousels of 7,000 and 10,000 tons, and DP3 positioning and seakeeping systems, while the maximum transit speed will exceed 16 knots.

Once operational, it will be dedicated to the execution of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project in the U.S., the Neuconnect Energy Link, and the Dolwin4 and Borwin4 offshore wind grid connection cable systems in Germany.

Prysmian’s fleet currently consists of five cable-laying vessels, including Giulio Verne, with a track record of about 35 years, Cable Enterprise, mainly used for installation of offshore wind export cables, Ulisse, a barge for shallow-water installation, Barbarossa, a small barge recently added to the fleet and designed for operations in very shallow water and intertidal zones, and Leonardo da Vinci.