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Nexans held the naming ceremony for its newest cable laying vessel, Nexans Electra, at Ulstein Verft in Ulsteinvik, Norway, in late April 2026, marking a milestone ahead of the ship’s planned delivery later this year.
The vessel, the third cable laying ship in the Nexans fleet, will join Nexans Aurora and Nexans Skagerrak to expand the French cable manufacturer’s subsea installation capacity at a time of rising demand from offshore wind and interconnector projects across the North Sea and beyond.
Fleet capacity grows
Nexans Electra measures 155.2 metres in length and 31 metres in beam, built to the Skipsteknisk ST 297 design as yard number 317 at Ulstein Verft. The vessel can carry up to 13,500 tonnes of cable across a split deck turntable system, an under deck turntable, and a separate fibre optic cable tank.
The ship is designed to lay up to four cables simultaneously and will handle both HVDC and HVAC export and inter array cables. It carries a full suite of subsea burial tools, including jetting and ploughing equipment, to support large scale engineering, procurement, construction, and installation contracts.
Construction reaches final phase
Steel cutting began in January 2024, with keel laying following in April of the same year. The hull launched from Ulstein’s covered dock hall on 13 November 2025, a step that allowed yard crews to install most onboard systems under roof before moving the vessel to the outfitting quay.
The naming ceremony, attended by three godmothers, signals the transition into final commissioning, testing, and sea trials. Delivery remains on schedule for 2026, according to Ulstein and Nexans.
Suppliers underpin vessel capability
Key equipment suppliers include Palfinger for deck handling systems, Remacut (a NOV brand) for the primary cable lay spread, and Red Rock for an upgraded crane package. Hydroniq Coolers has supplied seawater cooling systems for sustained offshore operations. Ulstein Design & Solutions provided the power and propulsion package.
The vessel enters a market where subsea cable installation capacity remains tight. Ulstein’s orderbook reflects that demand, with two additional cable laying vessels on order from OMS Group for delivery in 2028.
Nexans has described the Nexans Electra as a next generation vessel positioned to support the growing pipeline of large capacity subsea cable projects worldwide.
