Bluestone Group, a maritime technical services company, has secured a contract for plan approval and site supervision of two new cutting-edge cable-laying vessels operated by Prysmian.
The two new cable-laying vessels, the first of which is under construction and the second under design, will reinforce Prysmian’s submarine project execution capabilities.
The first vessel, which will be an evolution of Prysmian’s preceding vessel, Monna Lisa, is being built by the VARD Group, a subsidiary of the Fincantieri Group.
With a length of approximately 190 meters and a breadth of about 34 meters, the new vessel will be equipped with three carousels and feature advanced cable installation solutions, positioning itself among the highest cable-loading capacity vessels in the market with more than 19000 tons of cable.
The vessel will be operational by the beginning of 2027.
The second vessel will be an evolution of Prysmian’s Ulisse class, with a length of approximately 167 meters and a breadth of about 40 meters and will be equipped with carousels for a total cable loading capacity of 10,000 tonnes.
The state-of-the-art DP2 positioning, seakeeping systems, and an eight-point mooring system will enable the ship to meet its operating capabilities in shallow-water cable laying and burial installation, even in harsh environmental conditions. The vessel will be operational by the first half of 2025.
Both vessels will have outstanding green credentials as they will be equipped with high voltage shore connection systems to power them with clean energy during loading operations, diesel generators suitable for biodiesel blends, and battery hybrid systems only for the deep-water-vessel, due to its specific activity.
Bluestone will deploy two site teams for site supervision, a dedicated plan approval desk with subject matter experts and project management resources from the head office in Monaco.
Plan approval and construction supervision will use the company’s proprietary software which gives owners greater control during the project and improves the way the site team engages with owners and the shipyard on plan approval and on-field inspections.
"This latest project is an opportunity for us to engage with a state-of-the-art asset crafted by a globally renowned shipyard and Bluestone eagerly anticipates drawing upon our extensive experience in newbuilding supervision and offshore renewables,” said Matteo Di Maio, Bluestone’s director.