International offshore and marine contractor Van Oord asked Versatec to write a set of operating manuals for the new Nexus cable laying vessel.

In December 2014, Damen Shipyards delivered this innovative new 123-metre cable laying vessel, intended for the installation of electricity cables for offshore wind farms.

The Nexus cable-laying vessel is powered by two 2,560kW and two 1,912W main engines, which enables the vessel to sail at a maximum speed of 11.7 knots. The cable-laying vessel is designed to provide accommodation for up to 90 personnel. Nexus is equipped with a cable carousel, which has a capacity of more than 5,000t, and is designed for safe and secure installation of large diameter cables under the sea.

The Nexus will initially be deployed at the Gemini wind farm which will be constructed 55 kilometres north of Schiermonnikoog, one of the Wadden Islands in the North Sea.

The manuals Versatec is writing will include a Marine operations manual, a Lifting operations manual, a DP Operations manual and a Cable handling operations manual, all of which will provide the Nexus-crew with a comprehensive set of documents including references to vendor information and standard Van Oord documentation. This will enable the Van Oord staff to function more efficiently during its challenging offshore operations.