VARD Signs $200 million Contract For Construction Of State-Of-The-Art Cable-Laying Vessel

VARD of Norway has been awarded a contract worth more than $200 million to supply a highly tailored hybrid power cable lay as well as construction vessel to a renowned Japan-based construction company.

Toyo Construction, a Japan-based general construction firm that operates architecture and civil construction businesses both nationally and internationally, owns an array of working vessels, and builds a wide range of projects, including container terminals as well as marine airports, signed the deal, according to VARD.

The new vessel is going to be of VARD 9 15 design, which is stated to have been expressly developed for the customer’s demand to cater to Japan’s offshore wind industry as well as operate globally.

It will feature an optimal hull design to meet the natural and construction circumstances in Japan, allowing it to be used in floating offshore wind power generation as well as DC power transmission projects in deep as well as shallow waters.

The 150-meter-long vessel will be readied for inter-array, HVAC export, as well as interconnector cable lay, in addition to cable burial operation and building work.

According to VARD, the vessel features a high-performance crane and a big deck area, making it appropriate for versatile applications such as ground-based foundation construction, floating wind mooring work, as well as marine resource-related projects, in addition to being employed as a self-propelled cable-laying vessel. A four-point mooring system, including helideck, will also be placed on the vessel.

Five primary gensets plus two batteries will power the vessel. It will have a top speed of 13 knots with 90 single cabins serving a total of 90 passengers.

Vard Electro will provide SeaQ equipment and solutions, such as SeaQ Power with energy storage systems, shore connection, switchboards, as well as onboard network, entertainment, and communication systems, while Vard Interiors will provide interior solutions, including a green HVAC R system.

Vard Shipyards Romania, based in Tulcea, will construct the hull, which will be furnished and delivered from a facility at VARD’s shipyards in Norway by Q2 2026.

Toyo Construction and Mitsui O.S.K Lines (MOL) created a joint venture dedicated to offshore wind power generation earlier this year, intending to create stronger synergies in a variety of offshore wind-related areas, including survey planning, work vessel procurement, and offshore construction.

Reference: Offshore Energy