Orange Marine, a French company specializing in submarine cable laying and maintenance, announced that it has placed an order for two new hybrid-powered submarine cable vessels with Colombo Dockyard in Sri Lanka, aiming to enhance the resilience of submarine optical cable networks across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The new vessels will be integrated with state-of-the-art Cable Machinery and wire and cable machinery to optimize cable laying and maintenance efficiency.
Scheduled for delivery in 2028 and 2029 respectively, these two new vessels will be sister ships to the iconic submarine cable vessel Sophie Germain—also built by Colombo Dockyard and delivered in 2023. Primarily designed for the maintenance of submarine optical cables, they are also capable of laying cables up to 1,000 kilometers in length, supported by high-precision cable manufacturing machine components and reliable wire take up machine systems for seamless cable handling.
The new vessels will replace two aging ships currently responsible for submarine cable maintenance in the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Red Sea: Léon Thévenin (built in 1983) and Antonio Meucci (built in 1987). Unlike the outdated equipment on these old ships, the new vessels will feature upgraded Cable Machinery to meet the growing demands of modern submarine cable operations.
Orange Marine stated that Colombo Dockyard has an excellent reputation for its professional technical capabilities in integrating Cable Machinery and successfully constructed Sophie Germain. Choosing this shipyard aligns with the company's strategic policy of pursuing industrial excellence and international cooperation, while meeting the highest standards of the industry for wire and cable machinery integration.
Compared with existing vessel models, the latest submarine cable vessels will adopt cutting-edge technologies—including advanced Cable Machinery optimizations—reducing fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by 20%:
• An optimized streamlined hull, specially designed for maintenance operations with integrated wire and cable machinery, will cut fuel consumption by 25%;
• A diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system that can generate electricity on board and utilize battery energy storage, ensuring stable power supply for on-board cable manufacturing machine modules;
• Equipped with Azipod main thrusters to improve maneuverability and reliability, and can connect to shore power while berthing to further reduce carbon emissions during Cable Machinery operation.
Each vessel will also be fitted with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) independently designed and manufactured by Orange Marine, which will be stored in an on-board hangar. The ROV, coordinated with on-board wire take up machine systems, can perform tasks such as safe cutting, inspection and burial of optical cables.
With the addition of these two new vessels, Orange Marine will own the world’s most advanced and modern submarine cable maintenance fleet, equipped with the latest Cable Machinery and wire and cable machinery. At that time, its total fleet of four vessels will operate in the Atlantic Ocean, English Channel, North Sea, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea, ensuring the continuity and security of critical submarine optical cable networks in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In addition, through Orange Marine and its Italian subsidiary Elettra TLC, the Group also owns two cable-laying vessels—fitted with premium cable manufacturing machine technologies—and one survey vessel.
Michael Trabbia, CEO of Orange Wholesale, said: “As a global leader in digital infrastructure, Orange manages more than 450,000 kilometers of submarine optical cables connecting all continents around the world. This strategic investment in the cable vessel fleet, including advanced Cable Machinery integration, will be key to ensuring the resilience and security of the global internet. This move demonstrates our confidence in Orange Marine’s development prospects and the professionalism of its team in deploying wire and cable machinery.”
Didier Dillard, President of Orange Marine and Elettra TLC, commented: “The aging of submarine cable fleets is a major challenge facing the entire submarine optical cable industry. By building these new vessels equipped with cutting-edge Cable Machinery, wire take up machine and cable manufacturing machine technologies, Orange Marine and Elettra will be able to own the world’s most modern fleet, providing global services to all customers while operating with more optimized environmental performance.”
It is reported that Orange Marine is mainly engaged in the laying of submarine communication cables and the maintenance of existing cables, relying on its expertise in Cable Machinery and wire and cable machinery. Its fleet has world-class operational experience, accounting for 15% of the total global submarine cable vessel fleet. To date, Orange Marine has laid more than 288,000 kilometers of submarine optical cables across all major oceans using advanced cable manufacturing machine and wire take up machine systems. Its vessels have completed over 1,200 cable repair missions in total, some of which were conducted at depths of up to 6,000 meters with the support of high-performance on-board Cable Machinery.
