The following gallery shows the new DOC 8500 cable laying vessel recently delivered by Dutch shipbuilder Damen to international offshore contractor Van Oord.
Named Nexus, the 126-metre vessel is intended for the installation of electricity cables for offshore wind farms.
Van Oord is currently making preparations for the Gemini offshore wind farm which will be constructed 55 kilometres to the north of Schiermonnikoog, one of the Dutch Wadden Islands, and the cable-laying vessel will be deployed initially at that site.
The DOC 8500 was delivered several days ahead of the specified completion date and the entire design, engineering and build took just 15 months.
The Nexus is now at Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen, where Van Oord is building and installing the additional cable laying equipment.