NKT has launched the hull of its new cable laying vessel NKT Eleonora at Vard’s shipyard in Tulcea, Romania, marking a key step in the vessel’s construction.
The 176.5 m vessel reached the launch stage after its keel laying in January 2025, around two months after first steel was cut in late 2024. The project now moves into the outfitting phase ahead of delivery.
NKT Eleonora is being built for the offshore wind cable installation market. The vessel will have a cable-laying capacity of 23,000 tonnes across three turntables, placing it among the highest-capacity cable-laying vessels globally.
The design was developed by Salt Ship Design. The vessel will be able to operate on methanol and on marine diesel oil blended with hydrotreated vegetable oil, in line with tighter emissions rules in European waters.
Several major marine technology suppliers are part of the project. Wärtsilä is supplying 32 methanol dual-fuel engines, a front tunnel thruster and an azimuth thruster. NOV REMACUT will provide the cable lay system, cranes and mission equipment. ABB will supply its Onboard DC Grid power distribution system for onboard electrical load management.
The vessel is entering a market where demand for subsea power cable installation continues to exceed available vessel capacity. Offshore wind development in the North Sea, the Baltic, and other European waters is keeping specialized cable-laying tonnage tight, with competition for limited installation windows.
NKT disclosed the hull launch through its official channels and has not announced a final delivery date for NKT Eleonora.
