Offshore staff
MILAN, Italy – The Vard Group has delivered the cable-laying vessel Leonardo da Vinci to Prysmian Group.
Measuring about 170 m (558 ft) in length and 34 m (112 ft) in breadth, the Leonardo da Vinci will be able to lay cables up to a water depth of 3,000 m (9,842 ft). Two carousels of 7,000 and 10,000 metric tons (7,716 and 11,023 tons) enable reduced transportation time from the factory to the site for overall improved project efficiency.
The vessel is equipped with DP-3 positioning and seakeeping systems. With a maximum speed slightly above 16 knots, it is also outfitted with two independent laying lines to increase operative flexibility and a bollard pull in excess of 180 metric tons (198 tons) to perform complex installation operations supporting a variety of burial tools.
The high cable load capacity and navigation speed of the Leonardo da Vinci also allow the number of installation campaigns of any project to be reduced. The lower number of transits and the reduced transit time needed will enable an overall decrease in CO2 emissions and a reduction in fuel consumption of about 40% compared to a traditional cable-laying vessel, according to the company.
The Leonardo da Vinci also ensures a reduced environmental footprint. More than 80% of its lighting fittings consists of low consumption LEDs, which means a cut of the emissions produced by the generators. Moreover, it is powered by engines that reduces NOx emissions by 85% and enable the vessel to be compliant with the most stringent international environmental requirements.
Prysmian designed all the cable handling and installation equipment.
The Leonardo da Vinci’s first assignment is to install the Viking Link submarine cable connection between the UK and Denmark. This is said to be the world’s longest power interconnection. The vessel has just arrived at the Arco Felice plant — one of Prysmian’s four centers of excellence for the production of submarine cables — in order to load the cable.
Later in the year, the vessel will execute other projects such as installing the submarine power interconnection between the Spanish islands Lanzarote and Fuerteventura and the Saint Nazaire offshore wind farm in France.
The official launching ceremony will take place by 2Q 2022.
Valerio Battista, CEO of Prysmian Group, said: “Leonardo da Vinci is the most efficient cable layer in the world and from now onwards it will support the group’s long-term growth in the submarine cable installation business. It will be a game changer in strengthening our leadership in the interconnection and offshore wind farm markets.”
08/09/2021
