Salt Ship Design of Norway is providing design services to operator NKT for its second cable laying vessel, to be named ‘NKT Eleonora’ meaning ‘shining light’.
The new vessel will boost the company’s offshore cable laying capacity, flexibility and be amongst the first cable laying vessels designed to run on methanol as fuel, reducing the operational carbon footprint.
According to NKT, the high-voltage power cable market has grown significantly in recent years and the outlook remains positive driven by the transition to renewable energy and electrification of societies. Transmission lines are becoming larger, longer and with an increasing focus on lower power losses which is setting new standards for cable production and installation.
In May 2023, on the back of a record order backlog and the strong market outlook, NKT announced investments in a new high-voltage factory on the existing site in Karlskrona and a new market leading vessel. The design of the vessel has now been done by Salt Ship Design and the construction is underway in collaboration with the Norwegian shipyard Vard.
Darren Fennell, EVP and Head of HV Solutions Karlskrona, NKT said: “We are very pleased to welcome NKT Eleonora to our fleet. She is an important strategic asset which enhances our installation capacity and capabilities to ensure efficient project execution and meet the evolving demands of our clients. The decision to build a vessel designed to run on methanol is driven by our strong commitment to sustainability and connecting a greener world through our power cable solutions.”
Building upon the operational experience and technology featured on NKT Victoria, the NKT Eleonora is said to represent the next generation in terms of design and capabilities. Equipped with three turntables, she will offer a power cable-laying capacity of 23,000t and host a range of subsea tooling for precise installation and service of offshore cables.
The vessel will be constructed in parallel with NKT expanding its site in Karlskrona with a new high-voltage offshore cable factory. Both assets are expected operational from 2027.
The 176m long NKT Eleonora is scheduled to begin operation in 2027. The dual fuel methanol and HVO/marine diesel oil engines will be supplied by Wärtsilä, and the onboard DC grid power system and Azipod electrical propulsion by ABB.
Image: ‘NKT Eleonora’ (source: Salt Ship Design)
