Van Oord has ordered a new cable-laying vessel. The ship will be built at Damen's Romanian shipyard and will be completed at the end of 2014.

The ship is intended for the installation of electricity cables for offshore wind parks. Van Oord is making preparations for the Gemini wind park project which will be constructed 60 km to the north of Schiermonnikoog, one of the Dutch Wadden Islands. The cable-laying vessel will be deployed at that site, among others.

Multipurpose Cable-Laying Vessel

The investment concerns a multipurpose vessel with a dead weight of 8500 tonnes, a length of 120 metres, a beam of 28 metres and a DP2 system (dynamic positioning). It will be equipped with a cable carousel with a capacity of more than 5000 tonnes and an offshore crane that will enable it to lay heavy and long export cables. On board ninety people can be accommodated.

The cable-laying vessel forms part of the Van Oord strategy to offer a complete package for the construction of offshore wind parks as an EPC contractor.