Japan-based Penta-Ocean Construction has signed a shipbuilding contract with PaxOcean Group for the construction of a self-propelled large-scale cable laying vessel (CLV), expanding its capabilities from offshore wind turbine construction to power cable laying for the industry.
The new CLV will be self-propelled, mounted with two 5,000 t cable carousels (a total of 10,000 t) also known as cable storage, enabling safe and efficient cable laying in the open sea with severe metocean conditions.
Equipped with a latest trencher (for burying cables) and work class ROV, the vessel will be able to perform cable burial work.
The CLV will be capable of laying and burying not only cables for bottom-fixed offshore wind turbines but also for floating-type offshore wind turbines, as well as submarine direct current power transmission cables.
It will also be equipped with ClassNK DPS2, a dynamic positioning system, with seven thrusters for a total output of 16,000 kW or more.
The vessel will feature battery storage system, and be methanol ready to promote carbon neutrality initiatives.
The ship design will be contracted to Salt Ship Design in Norway, known for its extensive experience in CLV design, while the shipbuilding will be assigned to PaxOcean. Furthermore, the trencher and work class ROV will be supplied by U.K.-based SMD.
The vessel is scheduled to be completed in February 2028 and begin operations in the first half of 2029.
The cost of construction of the CLV, along with the equipment, is $237 million (JPY 36.5 billion).
“As a leading company in marine civil engineering, we have been actively investing in the construction of large-scale work vessels required for offshore wind construction including offshore installation vessels, in an effort to contribute to the expansion of offshore wind power supply in Japan.
"In order to expand our business from offshore wind turbine construction to power cable laying, we have decided to build the world’s largest and most advanced CLV, eyeing future offshore wind power construction in the EEZ as well as in the general sea areas,” Penta-Ocean said in a statement.