Ulstein Kicks Off Nexans Aurora Construction

Ulstein Verft has cut the first steel for Nexans' DP3 cable laying vessel C/S Aurora.

The hull is being built at Crist in Poland, while the engineering, outfitting and system integration, as well as equipment preparation, testing, sea trials and finalizing are carried out at Ulstein Verft in Norway.

Designed by Norwegian company Skipsteknisk, the vessel will be outfitted for power cable laying, including bundle laying, cable jointing, repair, cable system protection and trenching, Ulstein said.

“This is a proud moment for Nexans and an important milestone for the organization,” said Vincent Dessale, Senior Executive VP Subsea and Land Systems Business Group at Nexans.

“Aurora will play a key role in the installation of our cutting-edge submarine cables to help bring more energy to the world, connect offshore wind farms to the grid, support electrification of offshore petroleum installations and create interconnectors between countries."

In July, Nexans signed a deal with Ulstein Verft for the construction of the vessel. Shortly after, it was announced that MAATS Tech will supply a deck spread and Palfinger Marine a major deck equipment package.

The 150m Aurora has a turntable with a cable capacity of 10,000t and a deadweight of 17,000t. It will be able to accommodate 90 persons once launched in 2021.