Empowering Marine Hydraulic Engineering for Cable-Laying Ships

A Cable-Laying Vessel, also known as a cable layer, is a purpose-built maritime vessel crafted for the installation of submarine cables, including telecommunications, electric power transmission, and various other applications. The latest generations of cable layers embody a fusion of cable-laying and repair functionalities, enabling them to not only deploy but also retrieve and repair damaged sub-sea cables on board.

Tailoring their operations to factors like water depth and potential risks of damage, cable layers utilize specialized ploughs to bury sub-sea cables securely into the seabed. A sophisticated positioning system empowers the vessel to maintain a precise position above the designated cable route, ensuring accuracy in cable deployment even in challenging weather conditions, providing optimal safeguards for all cable-handling processes.

The cable itself is typically arranged in a spiral configuration within a cable carousel, a horizontally rotating table from which it is unreleased based on the speed of the laying operation. Presently, state-of-the-art cable layers boast the capacity to stow and deploy substantial cable loads, exceeding 10,000 tons.

These cable-laying vessel demonstrate their versatility not only in laying single lines of submarine communication cables, but also in installing two or three additional lines. To further emphasize their capabilities, these ships can effectively lay cables up to a depth of 3,000 meters using a capstan, a large winch around which multiple coils of the cable are wrapped, or through one or more tensioners placed in a cascade pattern. In addition, they can be equipped with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), adding another level of operational flexibility.