Fibre-optic cable-laying vessels
Fibre-optic cable-laying vessels typically work between continents, connecting the grids and laying long stretches of subsea cables. They are powerful and have high capacity, and particular care is taken in the design process to maintain low fuel consumption even in the most power-demanding situations.
Discover the Ulstein SX228 and SX209 cable-laying vessels
The cables contain periodic repeaters to boost the signal, increasing their weight. They can be hundreds of kilometres long and are often deployed at great depths.
The ULSTEIN SX228 cable layer has a deadweight of 8,400 tonnes and a cable capacity of 5,500 tonnes. The vessel has been optimised as a fibre-optic cable layer. Still, it is also prepared for future power cable operations, including strengthening the underdeck carousel in the forward cable tank. Two cable lines are placed inside an enclosed working area, and the vessel has an ROV hangar for the trencher and an A-frame of 50 t. The vessel has a bollard pull of up to 120 tonnes for ploughing.
The ULSTEIN SX209 cable repair vessel design is a compact and robust vessel optimised for cable repair of fibre-optic cables. Minimising the downtime of a damaged cable is crucial. When a fault has been located, the ship must sail there, find the cable, catch and repair it, before replacing it on the seabed. Lifting alone can take more than a day if at great depths. The design focus area for such vessels is more on speed and efficiency than capacity, and the SX209 vessel has a speed of 15 knots. With a length of 99.6m and a width of 18m, the capacity is up to 1,000t of cables.
We've got you covered
Ulstein Design & Solutions provides the concept and basic cable laying designs, various design services, engineering, power integration and electrical services, site follow-up and turnkey shipbuilding deliveries. Our shipyard, Ulstein Verft, is renowned for high-quality, on-time deliveries, and we work with shipyards worldwide.
Explore our Cable Lay portfolio
Ulstein offers a range of cable-laying designs, from large shallow-water vessels to efficient repair ships, with a focus on cost-effective operations, minimising the environmental footprint and crew safety. In addition to Ulstein's yard in Norway, we work with partner yards worldwide. Contact us if you have a specific yard in mind for your next project and would like us to assist.
Learn more about other CLV types
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Rolf Petter Almli
- Description
- Sales Manager
- Affiliation
- Ulstein Design & Solutions AS
