DEME is expanding its fleet with a new Offshore Construction Vessel (OCV), reinforcing its subsea cable installation capacity to meet the growing demand of the global offshore wind market.
Designed for versatility, the vessel will be able to perform trench excavation, burial, and cable laying operations, thus complementing DEME’s existing cable installation vessels, Living Stone and Viking Neptun.
Based on the advanced Norwegian SALT 310 design, the 123-meter-long OCV will be equipped with a DP2 dynamic positioning system, a 150-ton active heave compensation offshore crane, a hangar for two Work Class ROVs, a 1,000 kWh hybrid battery system, and a methanol-ready propulsion design for greater fuel flexibility.
Below deck, the vessel is configured to house two 2,500-ton cable carousels, enabling rapid deployment and smooth transitions between trench excavation, burial, and cable laying operations. The unit can accommodate 123 people.
Trench excavation and cable burial are vital steps in subsea cable installation, ensuring their secure positioning under the seabed. From the vessel, an ROV trencher can be launched to execute these operations, working in synergy with DEME’s cable installation fleet.
Hugo Bouvy, General Manager of Offshore Energy at DEME, stated that “with over 5,000 kilometers of subsea cables installed in wind farms in Europe and the United States, DEME continues to support its clients in executing offshore projects efficiently and reliably. Building on this track record, the new OCV further enhances our cable installation capacity and expands the versatile fleet of vessels and solutions.”
The OCV will be built by PaxOcean at the Zhoushan shipyard in China, with delivery scheduled for 2028.
