Dedicated cable repair and installation vessel enters the market

The Netherlands-headquartered N-Sea and its partner Neptune Marine Service have launched what is said to be the first dedicated cable repair and installation vessel.

Neptune Marine recently converted the existing anchored barge NP-459 into a dedicated cable repair DP2 vessel, named Curo, with a 50t offshore knuckle-boom crane.

The launch took place last week at the Neptune Ship Yard in Hardinxveld-Giessendam, the Netherlands.

The vessel will be available from mid-June for cable repair and installation projects and will be sailing for its first inter-array replacement project in Germany in the coming two weeks.

According to N-Sea, Curo is equipped with an innovative cable repair spread including a dual basket carousel, to repair and replace HVAC and HVDC inter-array cables, export cables and interconnectors. Due to the combination of its eight-point mooring system and DP2 capabilities, the vessel can operate year-round in both very shallow (beachable) and deep-water conditions.

N-Sea recently made a number of moves to strengthen its fleet and subsea activities. Namely, the Dutch company in November 2023 entered into an agreement with Rederij Groen to long-term charter the 4-WINDS vessel and extended its long-term charter agreement with Braveheart Marine for the Braveheart Spirit vessel.

Then in January N-Sea announced it had chartered the hybrid, fuel-efficient survey and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) support vessel Geo Ranger and entered into an agreement with Rederij Groen to long-term charter the modern offshore support vessel Aquarius-G.