Grand block ceremony for Nexans cable layer

The grand blocks for the hull of Nexans Aurora are currently being assembled at CRIST in Poland and the vessel will be completed at Ulstein Verft in Norway.

Ragnhild Katteland, chief executive of Nexans Norway, said, “The building of this groundbreaking cable laying vessel is a major milestone in our company’s long term strategy heading for the future in the energy market, and with the grand block ceremony, we are one step further.”

“The vessel is well prepared for complex construction tasks in severe weather conditions anywhere in the world. Ulstein Verft will carry out the final outfitting, commissioning and testing prior to the vessel’s delivery in 2021, and we are well prepared and eager to finalize this newbuild project for Nexans,” states managing director Lars Lühr Olsen at Ulstein Verft.

The design is based on the combined experience of Nexans, Skipsteknisk, Ulstein Verft and MAATS Tech. She has a 10,000 tonne capacity split turntable and will be outfitted for power cable laying, including bundle laying, cable jointing and repair and cable system protection and trenching.

The vessel will play a vital role in installation of Nexans’ HV submarine cables that will help connect offshore wind farms to the grid, supporting electrification of offshore petroleum installations and creating interconnectors between countries.