Leonardo da Vinci starts installing cables in Greece

Prysmian Group’s cable-laying vessel Leonardo da Vinci has commenced the offshore installation campaign of the subsea link that will connect the Greek Crete island and mainland Greece.

The Crete-Attica project will comprise a total submarine length of 336 kilometers to be laid at a maximum depth of 1,200 meters.

Prysmian won a €270-million contract for the submarine interconnections back in May 2020.

“We are proud to announce the commencement of the offshore installation campaign of Crete Attica project, the largest energy infrastructure under construction between the island of Crete and mainland Greece,” Prysmian reported. “The offshore cable operations, which will be ongoing in the coming weeks, are performed by Leonardo da Vinci, the most advanced cable vessel in the world.”

With a 1,000 MW transmission power, the HVDC cable system is set to enable the integration of Crete into the Greek power transmission system.

Prysmian this month also won a circa €150 million contract with the Greek electricity grid operator Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) for an interconnector that will link the islands of Milos, Folegandros and Santorini.

The Italian cabling giant recently placed an order with VARD for the construction of a new 170-meter-long cable-laying vessel. Its fleet currently consists of five cable-laying vessels, including Giulio Verne, Cable Enterprise, Ulisse – a barge for shallow-water installation, Barbarossa – a small barge recently added to the fleet, and Leonardo da Vinci.

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