Van Oord Orders Next Generation Cable Laying Vessel at Vard

Post Date: 19/12/2020

Rotterdam-based cable laying firm Van Oord has placed an order at Fincantieri-owned Vard for the construction of a next-generation cable laying vessel to serve the offshore wind market.

The vessel is scheduled to be delivered from the Vard Brattvaag shipyard in Norway in 2023 using a hull fabricated at Vard Tulcea in Romania.

Van Oord says the vessel will incorporate the latest technologies to reduce its carbon footprint, including biofuel and “future fuel” engines. It will also have flexibility to be powered with e-fuels (e.g. fuels cells charged by renewables), with a large battery pack, a shore supply connection, and a state-of-the-art energy management system.

“Van Oord is committed to reducing CO2 emissions to become carbon-neutral by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement. This investment emphasizes our commitment to net-zero emissions,” says Van Oord CEO Pieter van Oord.

The new DP2 vessel, measuring 130 meters in length and 28 meters, will be Van Oord’s second cable-laying vessel in addition to the Nexus. It will be equipped with a below-deck cable carousel and a second carousel on deck for a total cable-carrying capacity of 8,000 tonnes.

Van Oord says the vessel will mainly be deployed on inter-array grid and export cables of offshore wind projects, but will also be able to install High Voltage Direct Current cables. It will also be able to operate Van Oord’s innovative cable trenchers.

“We highly appreciate the close and excellent cooperation that has been established between Van Oord and Vard’s project teams to enable this innovative vessel within the renewable segment,” said Alberto Maestrini, CEO of Vard. “Our ambition is to contribute to our customers achievements, through environmentally friendly vessels and technological solutions focusing on safety, sustainability and efficiency performance, and we are looking forward to developing this cable-layer together with Van Oord.”

Courtesy: Mike Schuler