Previously, cable laying companies have had to deploy special pontoons in shallow or coastal waters of 3-10m and use conventional cable layers in water deeper than 10m. Arcos can lay and repair cable in both sectors and also has an ROV for work in water down to 3,000m.

Goerg Engicht, NSW's head of Repair and Maintenance said 'the unique design allows NSW to use a single ship to handle a wide variety of marine operations such as cable laying, plow burial, cable recovery and repair and offshore construction'.

The German-flag, GL classed, 2,500dwt Arcos was designed by Norway's Vik-Sandvik and carries and lays 600 tons of cable. Her five, identical diesel-electric Cummins KTA38DN-AEM gensets, with an installed power of 4,466kW, drive two Schottel SRP 1212 rudder propellers and two Jastram W 90 Pumpjets, each of 600kW, all of which permits a bow pull of 53 tons. The ship also has a four-point mooring system with anchors and a free deck area of 1380m 2. 'To our knowledge, no other European shipyard has ever built such a cable layer for shallow waters', said Viktor Lenac Project Manager Stjepan Ivanisevic. The yard also said it hoped the building of further 'complex and untypical sea-going vessels will enable it to avoid Far Eastern competition that has seriously endangered European shipbuilding'.

MJ Information No: 18106