Van Oord’s new DP2 cable-laying vessel ‘Nexus’ was officially launched at Damen Shipyards Galati on June 30. The 123m multipurpose vessel will be deployed for installing electricity cables for offshore wind farms.
With a beam of 28 m and a dynamic positioning system (DP2), the Van Oord vessel will be equipped with a huge cable carousel, able to carry more than 5,000t of cable, and a heavy crane that will enable it to lay heavy export cables. The vessel has accommodation for 90 people. The new Van Oord cable layer is based on the Damen Offshore Carrier 7500, a new multipurpose vessel design with a spacious, flush working deck, which is ideally suited for Heavy Lift or RoRo transport, as well as offshore installation capabilities. Offshore installation equipment can be mounted on the vessel and the design can be customised to create a dedicated ship, as is the case with the Van Oord cable layer.
Currently, Van Oord is making preparations for the 600MW Gemini Offshore Wind Farm, which will be one of the largest offshore wind projects in the world. Van Oord was awarded the EPC contract, which is valued at more than EUR 1.3B.
