On the premises of the Crist S.A. shipyard in Gdynia, the keel laying ceremony for the construction of unit NB317 took place on April 4. This is a milestone in the construction of another cable ship (Cable Laying Vessel, CLV) in cooperation with the Norwegian shipyard Ulstein Verft. As with the previous project of this type, the ordering party is Nexans.

The ship's name, Nexans Electra, was chosen through an internal competition at Nexans. This is in line with the company's slogan "Electrifying the future."

The new cable carrier being built for Nexans is a modern cable-laying vessel, 149.9 meters long and 31 meters wide, with a capacity to accommodate a 90-person crew. In many respects, it is very similar to the one that was created in 2020 for the same customer, also at the Crist S.A. shipyard and then towed to Ulstein Verft for retrofitting work, completed a year later. Compared to the previous project, the so-called a second carousel (or cable basket), thanks to which the vessel will increase the possibility of simultaneous cable transport, which, combined with the use of a hybrid drive system, will contribute to a lower impact on the environment. The laying vessel will be equipped with a carousel on the main deck that can accommodate up to 10,000 tons of cable, a turntable below deck with a capacity of 3,500 tons of cable, and a fiber optic "basket" with a capacity of 450 tons. In total, this means almost 14,000 tons of cable load capacity. The ship will be adapted to operate in difficult weather conditions, while maintaining high maneuverability and position.

– Project management will prioritize several key areas in the coming months. We will continue to focus on hull design, ensuring the structural integrity of the ship. Fitting out and painting work will be performed in Crist. Collaboration with Nexans and other major suppliers is ongoing in parallel to this process, remaining crucial to maintaining the project's momentum – said Runar Toftesund, project manager at Ulstein Verft.

The cable carrier has been specially designed by Skipsteknisk to transport and lay various types of subsea cables, including cable harnesses, as well as to retrieve cables from the seabed and carry out repairs. It will be able to lay up to four cables at the same time. It is also expected to operate effectively even in difficult weather conditions and boast exceptional maneuverability and the ability to maintain position on the water. This is to ensure a modern dynamic positioning system, thanks to which the unit will be able to not only stay in place without the need to lower the anchor, but also rotate around its own axis if necessary.

Construction of the future Nexans Electra officially began on January 29 this year from cutting sheet metal, also at the Crist S.A. shipyard in Gdynia.