Specially designed for the maintenance of submarine cables, both fiber optic telecommunications cables and inter-array power cables used in offshore wind farms, it will be the first cable ship of its generation.

The new vessel will be ready to sail at any time, if required, within 24 hours, Orange Marine said.

It will replace C/S Raymond Croze, which was launched in 1983 and has carried out over 100 cable repairs, mainly in the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Red Sea.

This new vessel will be at the forefront of new, more efficient technologies, according to Orange Marine, and will be fitted with the latest equipment.

It is expected to have 25% lower fuel consumption and a lower environmental footprint, 20% lower CO2 emissions and 80% lower nitrogen oxide emissions compared to Raymond Croze.

With the commissioning of C/S Pierre de Fermat in 2014, the company believes that this new French-flagged vessel will enable it to have one of the world's most modern cable ship fleets.

“The decision to build this vessel is very good news for Orange Marine, its employees and its customers. We will have a new and high-performance tool, with a low environmental footprint, which will allow us to offer high-quality services for several decades to our customers, not only owners of submarine telecommunications cables but also operators of offshore wind farms,” Didier Dillard, CEO of Orange Marine, stated.

Maritime Business World