Damen Shipyards Galati has launched Van Oord’s new DP2 cable-laying vessel, Nexus, which will be deployed to install electricity cables for offshore wind farms.
The 123m-long vessel, which has been designed to accommodate 90 people, features a beam of 28m and a dynamic positioning system (DP2).
It also contains a large cable carousel with a capacity to carry more than 5,000t cable and a heavy crane for laying heavy-export cables.
The design of the Nexus is based on the Damen Offshore Carrier 7500, a multipurpose vessel suited for heavy-lift or roll-on/roll-off transport and offshore installations.
Van Oord CEO Pieter van Oord said that the investment in the Damen cable-laying vessel highlights the company’s drive to continuously serve new and existing markets by investing in advanced technology and marine ingenuity.
The company contracted Damen for the construction of the new cable-laying vessel in 2013.
The investment forms part of the company’s efforts to offer a complete package for the construction of offshore wind farms as an engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) contractor.
Van Oord was awarded a €1.3bn EPC contract this year for the 600MW Gemini offshore wind project, which is located 55km to the north of the island of Schiermonnikoog, Netherlands.
The Nexus will be deployed for various operations at the Gemini offshore wind farm.
Van Oord specialises in dredging, engineering and offshore projects, including oil, gas and wind.
Image: The Van Oord cable layer is based on the Damen Offshore Carrier 7500 design. Photo: courtesy of Damen Shipyards Group.
