French telecommunications corporation Orange has ordered a cable vessel specially designed for the maintenance of submarine cables, including the inter-array cables used on offshore wind farms.
Ordered by Orange Marine, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Orange, the new vessel will replace C/S Raymond Croze, launched in 1983. The hybrid vessel will be constructed by the Colombo Dockyard shipyard with the assistance of the Norwegian company Vard. The launch of the ship is scheduled for the first half of 2023.
“The decision to build this vessel is very good news for Orange Marine, its employees and its customers,” Didier Dillard , CEO of Orange Marine, said.
”We will have a new and high-performance tool, with a low environmental footprint, which will allow us to offer high-quality services for several decades to our customers, not only owners of submarine telecommunications cables but also operators of offshore wind farms.”
Orange said that the investment in the new vessel is part of the company’s strategy to develop its position as a leading player in the international networks market in general and submarine cables in particular.