A Norwegian start-up has contracted a cable-laying ship in Turkey for offshore wind farm work.
Agalas, backed by cable company Cecon Contracting and two fisheries groups, will take delivery of the dual-fuel methanol-powered vessel in the first quarter of 2025 from Sefine Shipyard.
The design is 99 metres long and 21 metres wide, with a battery pack.
The ship, developed by NSK Ship Design, will come with a 70-tonne crane and have the capacity to carry up to 3,300 tonnes of cable.
It will install fibre-optic submarine lines.
The other backers of Agalas are northern Norwegian fisheries company Ytterstad Fiskeriselskap and Kransvik Kystfiske.
The unnamed ship will achieve a significant reduction in harmful emissions compared with existing conventional tonnage.
Most of the cable will be stored in an underdeck tank.
When not installing cable, the ship will be able to operate in other sectors of the offshore industry, including light construction and cable repair.
Price not disclosed
It has an open deck of 1,020 square metres and accommodation for up to 100 people.
No price has been revealed for the contract.
Sefine Shipyard has two other ships in its orderbook.
It is building two ro-paxes for Siremar, a unit of Italy’s Caronte & Tourist group. The first ship, the 12,100-gt Eolie, is due in April this year, the second in June 2024.
