On September 3, Norwegian ship designer and shipbuilder VARD under the Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri, held a steel cutting ceremony for the new cable laying vessel (CLV) invested in by Italian cable giant Prysmian.
The new vessel is an upgraded version of the cable-laying vessels Monna Lisa, which is under construction at Vard, and Leonardo da Vinci, which was delivered in 2021, and features higher cable loading capacity and enhanced technical solutions.
The new vessel is of VARD 9 18 design with an overall length of 191 meters and a breadth of 34 meters; equipped with DP3 positioning and navigation system; equipped with advanced cable installation solutions such as three carousels with a total loading capacity of 19,000 tons, making it one of the highest cable loading vessels in the world.
In addition, Palfinger Marine will supply deck equipment and life-saving equipment (LSA) for the new vessels; TMC Compressors will supply a marine compressed air system consisting of control and service air compressors; and MacGregor will supply three cranes.
At the end of 2023, Prysmian is understood to have announced an investment of around €350 million in two new CLVs to strengthen its subsea project execution capabilities. This is one of the vessels under construction at the Vard at a cost of approximately €230 million. The other new one will be an upgraded version of the Ulisse, a barge for shallow-water installations, at a cost of about €120 million.