zoomDamen Shipyard Galati

DeepOcean UK has kicked off the construction of its new cable lay vessel with the symbolic keel laying ceremony held in Galati.

The vessel, yet to be named, will be taken on a long term charter from Maersk, and will extend DeepOcean’s capabilities in the larger cable laying end of the market, representing a new focus on interconnector projects, in addition to the oil and gas and renewables sectors.

The ceremony was attended by the shipyard workforce attached to the project, alongside representatives from Damen, Maersk, DeepOcean and Lloyds Register of Shipping, who certified the milestone achievement.

Tony Inglis, DeepOcean UK managing director, said: “This next generation cable lay vessel in combination with our survey and trenching capabilities will enable us to bundle our services for customers in the offshore power cable and umbilical markets. The versatile new vessel will be well suited for installation and burial projects using its 7,000 tonne carousel from land-fall to deepwater and also in remote geographical locations.

“The vessel is designed to meet the high standards demanded by North Sea Oil and Gas customers. We are delighted to be working with Maersk Supply Service and Damen to bring this high capability vessel to the market.”