A grand block ceremony took place Sept. 10 at the CRIST shipyard in Poland for the new Nexans Electra cable installation vessel.
The design was a collaboration between Nexans, Skipsteknisk and Ulstein Verft. Outfitting, commissioning and testing will be completed at Ulstein Verft prior to delivery in 2026.
Lars Lühr Olsen, managing director at Ulstein Verft, said the vessel will be able to install complex cable connections in severe weather conditions globally, due to its manoeuvrability and station-keeping capabilities.
It is an updated version of the Nexans Aurora, delivered in 2021, with capabilities to transport and lay high-voltage subsea cables, including cable bundles, recovery and repair.
The DP3 vessel has a split turntable on deck capable of holding up to 10,000 t of cable, an under-deck turntable with a 3,500-t cable capacity; and a fiber-optic tank holding 450 t of fiber cable.
Nexans will use it for connecting offshore wind farms to local grids and establishing power connections between islands and the mainland.
