Nexans has named its newest cable laying vessel, Nexans Electra, at Ulstein Verft in Ulsteinvik, Norway, as the ship moves toward planned delivery later in 2026.
The vessel will become the third cable laying ship in the Nexans fleet, joining Nexans Aurora and Nexans Skagerrak. Its arrival will expand the company’s subsea installation capacity as offshore wind and interconnector projects continue to support demand in the North Sea and other markets.
Nexans Electra is 155.2 m long and 31 m wide. The vessel is being built to the Skipsteknisk ST 297 design as yard number 317 at Ulstein Verft. It can carry up to 13,500 tonnes of cable using a split deck turntable system, an under-deck turntable and a separate fibre optic cable tank.
The ship is designed to install up to four cables at the same time and will handle HVDC and HVAC export and inter-array cables. It will also carry subsea burial equipment, including jetting and ploughing tools, for large-scale engineering, procurement, construction and installation work.
Construction began with steel cutting in January 2024, followed by keel laying in April 2024. The hull was launched from Ulstein Verft’s covered dock hall on 13 November 2025, allowing most onboard systems to be installed under roof before the vessel moved to the outfitting quay.
The late-April naming ceremony, attended by three godmothers, marks the start of final commissioning, testing and sea trials. Ulstein Verft and Nexans said delivery remains scheduled for 2026.
Several suppliers are supporting the vessel’s capability. Palfinger is providing deck handling systems, Remacut, a NOV brand, is supplying the primary cable lay spread, and Red Rock is delivering an upgraded crane package. Hydroniq Coolers has supplied seawater cooling systems, while Ulstein Design & Solutions provided the power and propulsion package.
The vessel will enter a market where subsea cable installation capacity remains tight. Ulstein Verft’s orderbook also includes two additional cable laying vessels for OMS Group, scheduled for delivery in 2028.
Nexans has described Nexans Electra as a next-generation vessel intended to support the growing global pipeline of large-capacity subsea cable projects.
