DeepOcean has upgraded a multifunctional subsea support and construction vessel that it chartered from Olympic Subsea, equipping it with the capacity to lay and install cables for offshore wind.
The two Norwegian companies entered into a two-year time charter agreement for Olympic Ares in March 2023, with an extension option, whereby the vessel provided DeepOcean customers with subsea inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) services, as well as light construction and recycling services.
On 29 January, DeepOcean reported that it had mobilised and converted the subsea construction vessel by adding a fully functional cable-lay spread.
This enables the installation and repair of inter-array cables across offshore wind farms.
The 115-metre vessel now features an integrated modular cable lay highway, a quadrant handling system for second-end deployment and pull-in, a high-capacity cable carousel, a 15-tonne bi-directional lay tensioner, a 4-metre MBR quadrant and retracting stern chutes, a 20-tonne active heave-compensated quadrant winch and an integrated control cabin for all cable handling equipment, as well as 250-tonne and 50-tonne subsea cranes.
