Prysmian Adds Barbarossa I Cable Layer to Its Fleet. Wins IMR Work in France
Italian subsea cable firm Prysmian Group said Thursday it has added a new vessel - Barbarossa I - to its fleet.
"After the debut of the state-of-the-art 170-meter Leonardo da Vinci [vessel] in August 2021, Prysmian Group’s fleet would seem to be complete.
But with the addition of Barbarossa I, Prysmian Group becomes the first company in the sector that can provide the full range of submarine cable-laying solutions from the shallowest coastal waters in Northern Europe to the profoundest depths of the Mediterranean Sea. Moreover, it can execute projects in shallow waters without recourse to a subcontractor," Prysmian Group said.
Valerio Acquaotta, Head of Installation for Marine Operations at Prysmian Powerlink said:"We are providing our clients the full package in-house” “We acquired Barbarossa I to round out our equipment portfolio, so that we can carry out a series of activities that are specific to areas with these shallow conditions.”
Barbarossa I’s maiden voyage for Prysmian Group has been to the tidal flats of the northern coast of Germany, where Prysmian Group is installing approximately 130 kilometers of land and submarine cables for the DolWin5 offshore grid connection project commissioned by transmission system operator TenneT.
The turnkey connections will link the offshore converter platform DolWin epsilon, located approximately 100 km off the German coast in the North Sea, to the mainland Emden/Ost converter station, with the purpose of transmitting the generated renewable energy into the German grid.
IMR work in French offshore wind sector
©Prysmian On Wednesday, Prysmian Group said it had won a contract with France’s transmission system operator Réseau de Transport d'Électricité (RTE) to provide inspection, maintenance and repair services for the submarine export power cable links connecting the three offshore wind farms near the French coast of Normandy that will be linked to the mainland using Prysmian cables.
The wind farms at St. Nazaire, Fécamp and Calvados are among the largest commercial wind farms ever built in France, and their seamless functioning is essential to achieving France’s energy transition goals, Prysmian said.
The maintenance services provided by Prysmian will reduce the length of any possible supply disruption arising from a power outage of the wind farms, thus assuring a continuous flow of renewable energy to French homes and businesses, Prysmian said.
The agreement will last 15 years and enters into effect immediately at the already-completed link of St. Nazaire. It will be then extended to the other two links as soon as they enter into operation.
The contract will cover the three HVAC (High Voltage Alternating Current) 220 kV three-core submarine cables with XLPE insulation and single-wire armouring of the Fécamp (2x18km offshore), Calvados (2x16km offshore) and St. Nazaire (2x34km offshore) wind farms.
“This long-term contract will consolidate Prysmian’s relationship with RTE and confirms its commitment to assisting its key customers during the whole life of cable systems,” stated Detlev Waimann, Chief Commercial Officer of Prysmian Power Link, Prysmian Group. “We are proud to be contributing to the development of such a strategically important infrastructure.”
