Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein Verft has laid the keel for the first of two cable laying vessels (CLVs) it is building for Malaysia-based OMS Group.
The keel of CS Resilience was laid during a ceremony at Crist shipyard in Gdynia, Poland, Ulstein said on Tuesday, October 13. The ceremony marked the start of hull assembly and followed the cutting of the first steel for the vessel at Crist in July.
The CLV's hull will later be transported to Norway for completion. Ulstein Verft is managing the project and is responsible for construction follow-up, system integration, outfitting, commissioning and delivery.
Both vessels utilise an existing Ulstein design and are intended to install and maintain subsea telecommunications cables.
The OMS Group signed contracts for the pair on December 23, 2025, and both are scheduled to enter service in 2028.
CS Resilience will have a length of 130 metres, a beam of 22 metres, a cable capacity of up to 6,500 tonnes, and accommodation for 75 people.
Her equipment will include two large cable storage tanks and two tanks for spare cable, a hangar enclosing the cable deck, an open deck above it for ROVs and containers, and a 50-tonne A-frame and towing winch for ploughing.
Ulstein said the vessel's hull design will reduce motion and therefore wear on cables and equipment in rough weather.
Ulstein Power and Control will supply combined hybrid systems for power and automation. The systems will be built on low-voltage AC platforms with variable-speed generators and batteries. The batteries provide reserve power and support rapid load changes.
