Norwegian shipyard Ulstein Verft has contracted Hydroniq Coolers to deliver the seawater cooling system to a newbuild cable laying vessel it is constructing for Nexans Marine Operations.
Under the contract, Aalesund-based Hydroniq Coolerswill supply several of its Pleat seawater coolers for the large, DP3 cablelaying vessel. Marine cooling systems are utilised to reduce temperatures inthe ship’s engines and other auxiliary systems through use of seawater to avoidoverheating of the engine and other critical systems.
The Pleat coolers will provide central cooling of allthe vessel’s main motors, including the main engine, propulsion system andother auxiliary systems, through the use of seawater. Hydroniq Coolers has notdisclosed the value of the contract.
The vessel, a ST-297 CLV design by Skipsteknisk, isan updated version of the Nexans Aurora cable laying vessel which wasdelivered from Ulstein Verft to Nexans Subsea Operations in 2021.
“We supplied the marine cooling system to NexansAurora back in 2020, and we are proud that the yard and shipowner place arepeat order with us. The feedback we receive from our customers is that theyconsider the Pleat to be a reliable, maintenance friendly and cost-efficientseawater cooling system,” says Magnar Kvalheim, sales manager at HydroniqCoolers.
The patented Pleat is a module-based titanium coolerfor seawater to freshwater. The modern design of the Pleat ensures a reliableproduct which significantly reduces the need to maintain the system. However,when maintenance is required, it can be done easily and quickly. Maintenance ofthe Pleat involves dismantling, high-pressure cleaning, and assembly of a fewrobust elements that are easy to get watertight again.
“Compared to a traditional heat exchanger, one Pleatcooling element is equal to approximately 15 plates. Whereas cleaning atraditional plate heat exchanger can take a significant amount of time tocomplete, cleaning of the Pleat can easily be done buy one person within onehour. This is an obvious advantage of the system, particularly for vessels thatoperate offshore for long periods at a time, such as this newbuild cable layingvessel,” adds Magnar Kvalheim.
Hydroniq Coolers will manufacture at assemble thePleat coolers at its headquarters at Ellingsøy outside Aalesund, Norway, anddeliver it to Ulstein Verft in Ulsteinvik, Norway.
The new vessel is specially designed to carry out thetransport and laying of various types of subsea cables, including cable bundlesas well as recovery and repair. It can perform effectively even in challengingweather conditions and boasts exceptional manoeuvrability and station-keepingcapabilities. Ulstein Verft is responsible for the vessel's construction andthe preparation of its topside equipment.
This cutting-edge cable laying vessel features a splitturntable on deck capable of holding up to 10,000t of cable, an under-deckturntable with a 3,500t cable capacity, and a fibre optic basket holding 450t.The vessel measures 31 metres in width, 149.9 metres in length, and isaccommodated for a crew of 90.
