171-meter Prysmian cable layer steps closer to delivery with launch at VARD

Norwegian ship designer and shipbuilder VARD has launched Prysmian’s new cable laying vessel (CLV) Monna Lisa, sister ship to Leonardo da Vinci, coming a step closer to delivery in 2025.

VARD has completed steel cutting, keel laying, generator installation, and hull erection on the 171-meter Monna Lisa, with outfitting completion, systems commissioning and trials next on the schedule.

A keel-laying ceremony was held in Tulcea, Romania, in April 2023 to mark the birth of the new vessel.

The launch takes place over a few days, with the vessel first skidded from the erection dock to the Atlante launching barge, which is then moved to a deeper water area within the shipyard basin, where it is submerged, releasing the new vessel to float in the water for the first time. Afterward, the vessel is moved to the quayside and prepared for the wet towage.

Monna Lisa is now being towed down the Danube River, across the Mediterranean Sea, and up the coast of Portugal and Spain to Norway for the month-long journey to VARD’s shipyard in Søvik for outfitting completion, systems commissioning, trials and delivery. It is expected to be ready for service in early 2025.

“This is a major milestone on the journey to deliver our new vessel in 2025. It’s been hard to improve on a vessel as successful as the Leonardo da Vinci. But we are striving to get on Monna Lisa the best green solutions the market can offer,” said Davide Leoni, New Building Vessel Manager at Prysmian.

Monna Lisa, in which Prysmian decided to invest in 2022, will match Leonardo da Vinci for capacity and performance and will boast two carousels of 7,000 and 10,000 tons, the highest capacity in the current market.

The vessel will incorporate some green improvements such as lower C02 emissions thanks to the high-voltage shore connection to power the vessel with clean energy during loading operation, a 3MWh energy storage system with double the battery capacity and diesel generators ready for biodiesel blends.

The addition of Monna Lisa will expand Prysmian’s installation fleet to six cable-laying vessels. It is the first item on Prysmian’s New Build Program after Leonardo da Vinci, but not the last one as Prysmian will expand its CLV fleet with two additional vessels.

VARD is currently building its third cable-laying vessel for Prysmian.