Japanese owner expands fleet with new cable layer

Japanese submarine cable installation company Kokusai Cable Ship Co has taken delivery of 5,757-dwt KDDI Cable Infinity, its third cable-laying vessel and first built by Sri Lanka’s Colombo Dockyard PLC.

Kokusai Cable Ship Co also owns two 25-year-old cable-laying vessels, KDDI Ocean Link and KDDI Pacific Link.

The largest vessel ever built by Colombo Dockyard, KDDI Cable Infinity is 113.1 m in length, 21.5 m in breadth, with 8.8 m depth and maximum load laying draught of 7.1 m. The cable layer has a speed of 14.5 knots with accommodation for 80.

Intended for subsea operation, cable installation and repair of both optical and power cables, KDDI Cable Infinity is fitted with a carousel system with a spooling arm.

For improved seakeeping and station-keeping performance, the vessel is fitted with passive roll reduction tanks to minimise the effect of ship rolling. The vessel has low resistance hull lines to increase speed and improve fuel consumption.

Propulsion power for the diesel-electric vessel is supplied by four generator sets, developing 2,300 kW each. Three of the four generators are sufficient to cope with the highest propulsion power demands, ensuring high reliability. Transit at economic speed with two engines efficiently running will optimise fuel consumption. Built to ClassNK class, the vessel has a bollard pull of 80 tonnes with a range of 10,000 nautical miles and has dynamic positioning (DP) capability to class 2 for precision manoeuvring and station keeping.

The basic design and production drawings for constructing KDDI Cable Infinity were supplied by Norway’s Vard Designs.

Sri Lankan government institutions hold a 35% stake in Colombo Dockyard PLC, which is a joint collaboration with Japanese shipbuilder Onomichi Dockyard Company Limited.