Offshore Marine Technology: 4th Quarter 2019
Colombo Dockyard, Sri Lanka, has delivered what it describes as its largest vessel yet, the 113.1m cable-layer KDDI Cable Infinity. Designed by Norway’s Vard, the vessel was delivered to Japanese shipowner Kokusai Cable Ship (KCS) and will be used primarily to install and repair power cables and optical cables.
KDDI Cable Infinity features a 21.5m beam, a depth of 8.8m and a deadweight carrying capacity of 5,757tonnes at a maximum load-laying draught of 7.1m. The vessel has been designed to accommodate up to 80 persons, and is powered by a diesel-electric configuration, comprising four generator sets, rated 2,300kW apiece. This arrangement grants the cable-layer a speed of 14.5knots and a maximum bollard pull of 80tonnes. The propulsive set-up combines two tunnel thrusters and a retractable azimuth thruster forward with twin azimuth propellers aft.
The forward tank is equipped with a carousel system with a payload capacity of 2,000tonnes, as well as a loading arm and control cabin. KDDI Cable Infinity’s features also include: a DP2 system for station-keeping; a pair of 4m-diameter, electrically driven drum cable engines; and a 50tonne-capacity A-frame for plough deployment, as well as separate A-frames for buoy management and ROV deployment. As a concession to environmental protection, the vessel was designed with low resistance lines and equipped with a scrubber system, the latter to reduce emissions.
