VARD starts building hybrid cable lay & construction vessel for Japanese offshore wind

Norwegian VARD has held the steel cutting ceremony for the highly customized hybrid power cable lay and construction vessel it is building for the Japanese offshore wind market.

The steel-cutting ceremony for NB 980 was held on July 1 in Vard Shipyards Romania – Braila, marking a milestone in the construction of the cable laying vessel for Toyo Construction, a Japanese general construction company that operates civil and architecture construction businesses domestically and internationally.

To remind, Toyo Construction and Japanese-based Mitsui O.S.K Lines (MOL) established a joint venture focusing on offshore wind power generation last summer, through which they want to create stronger synergies in a wide range of areas related to offshore wind, including survey planning, procurement of work vessels, and offshore construction.

VARD announced the contract worth over $200 million at the end of 2023.

The hybrid power cable lay and construction vessel is of VARD 9 15 design, a design especially developed for the need of the customer to cater to the Japanese offshore wind market, as well as to operate worldwide, VARD said.

According to the Norwegian shipbuilder, the 150-meter-long vessel will have an optimal hull design to suit the natural and construction conditions in Japan, allowing it to be used in both shallow waters and deep waters for floating offshore wind power generation and DC power transmission projects.

The self-propelled cable-laying vessel will be powered by five main gensets and two batteries and will have a carrying capacity of 9,000 tons. It will have a maximum transit speed of 13 knots and will comprise 90 single cabins for 90 persons on board.

Huisman will deliver a full electric 250mt hybrid boom subsea crane and a 100mt knuckle boom crane for the vessel.

Construction is expected to be completed by the first half of 2026.