Van Oord's new cable-laying vessel Calypso is headed to the Vard Brattvaag shipyard in Norway after its hull launch last week in Romania. Once in Norway, Vard Brattvaag will complete the construction of the vessel which is expected to enter operation at the end of 2023.
In addition to the Nexus, the Calypso is Van Oord's second cable-laying vessel. It will be Dutch-flagged and 131 meters long with a beam width of 28 meters.
The new DP2 vessel will feature not just an on-deck carousel, but also a second, below-deck cable carousel, with a total cable carrying capacity of 8,000 tonnes.
The Dutch offshore installations service firm said that the Calypso would mainly be deployed to install inter-array grid and export cables for offshore wind projects, including high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables. Van Oord’s cable trenchers can also be operated from the vessel.
Apart from the ability to run on biofuel, this hybrid vessel has future-ready engines with built-in flexibility to anticipate e-fuels. It will have a large battery pack, a shore supply connection, and an energy management system, that will enable the vessel to be more energy efficient with reduced carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur oxides emissions.