Vard Braila in Romania recently launched a new cable laying vessel ordered by Danish cable installation specialist NKT.
NKT Eleonora is named in honour of Danish-born Ulrika Eleonora, who reigned as Queen of Sweden and then Queen Consort between 1718 and 1741.
Upon completion, the vessel will have a length of 176 metres, a beam of 32 metres, dual-fuel engines that can run on either methanol or diesel/HVO.
The vessel will be equipped with three turntables and will have a power cable-laying capacity of 23,000 tonnes. She will also host a range of subsea tooling for precise installation and service of offshore cables and will feature an ABB power distribution system.
Design work on NKT Eleonora was provided by Salt Ship Design of Norway.
The vessel is being constructed in parallel with NKT expanding its site in Karlskrona in Sweden with a new high-voltage offshore cable factory. Both assets are scheduled to be operational beginning in 2027.