Chinese shipbuilder Qidong Xiangyu Marine Equipment has launched a new cable laying vessel ordered by local company Shanghai Yuanwei.
Blue Ocean Navigator (蓝海领航; Lan Hai Linghang) was designed by China State Shipbuilding Corporation subsidiary 708 Research Institute. Upon completion, she will have a length of 139.8 metres, a displacement of 35,000 tons at full load, a maximum cable carrying capacity of 16,000 tons, and all-electric propulsion.
Once in service, she will be the largest all-electric, deep-sea cable laying vessel to be built and operated in China.
The vessel will also have a DP2 system and will be capable of operating in unlimited navigation areas as well as cable laying operations under conditions of up to Sea State five.
The vessel can lay both AC and DC cables at depths of as much as 3,000 metres. This will make her suitable for cable installation in support of offshore wind farms as well as trans-oceanic submarine power supply networks.