NKT invests to support growing offshore wind market

“Demand for offshore power cables is expected to grow in the years to come as offshore wind continues grow,” said NKT. “With the positive market outlook and a strong order backlog, NKT is investing in a new specially designed barge built for cable transportation on the river Rhine, to increase its transportation capacity and enhance security of delivery from its manufacturing site in Cologne.”

NKT is also increasing capacity at its logistics centre in Rotterdam, from which offshore cables manufactured in Cologne are loaded on to cable-laying vessels.

The barge was designed and built by Neptune Marine for the challenging conditions on the Rhine and can operate in very shallow water.

To minimise its environmental impact, it is powered by green electricity during cable loading at the harbour in Cologne. The factory there is also powered by electricity generated from renewable energy.

NKT expects the barge to be fully operational in Q4 2020.