Colombo Dockyard achieves milestone with first-ever cable laying and repair vessel delivery to European market

The C/S Sophie Germain in all her splendor

Colombo Dockyard PLC made history on July 28, by delivering the first-ever cable laying and repair vessel (CLRV) to the European market from Sri Lanka.

The delivery was made to Orange Marine, a French client, who is a specialist in submarine telecommunications.
Orange Marine gets involved in every aspect of this field, including initial design, engineering, installation of intercontinental and regional links, as well as the maintenance of existing cables. 

Their fleet is widely recognised for its expertise and is considered one of the most experienced in the world, representing an impressive 15 percent of the global fleet in this sector.
Colombo Dockyard delivered the first cable layer to Japan in 2019. Now, with the delivery of ‘C/S Sophie Germain,’

this becomes the second vessel of its category delivered by the shipyard. 
The ceremonial delivery of C/S Sophie Germain took place at Dock No 4 south pier of Colombo Dockyard premises, and was attended by owners, dignitaries from the Embassies of France and Japan in Sri Lanka, officials from government institutions including BOI, EDB,SLPA and Sri Lanka Navy, Merchant Shipping, state and private banks, class surveyors, Colombo Dockyard top management, and employees.

During the ceremony, Emmanuel Decugis, the Ship Newbuilding Project Director of Orange Marine, broke the traditional Sri Lankan milk pot to symbolise the delivery of the ship. 
He also received the ship model on behalf of Orange Marine. The event was further attended by representatives from Orange Marine, including superintendents and the ship’s crew, making it a significant moment for the company.

French Ambassador Jean-François Pactet, Japanese Ambassador Mizukoshi Hideaki, First Secretary Murakami, Head of the Economic Department and Economic Advisor and Coordinating Attaché Jean Alexander Egea and Imali Akarawita from French Embassy represented the foreign missions.

Colombo Dockyard Chairman Hideaki Tanaka, MD/CEO Thimira Godakumbura, Technical Advisor/ Alternate Director Nozaki and a host of other senior management and staff from Colombo Dockyard participated in this occasion. C/S Sophie Germain is a state-of-the-art, high-technology vessel, specifically designed and equipped for sub-sea cable laying and repair operations.  The vessel was designed by Vard Design AS of Norway. The detailed design work was carried out in-house by Colombo Dockyard’s skilled design team.

The vessel is 100m in length with a beam of 18.8m and a Depth of 7.15m and shall have a deadweight capacity of 1800 DWT. The vessel can achieve an impressive speed of 14.5 knots and has accommodation facilities for 76 persons. 

The vessel has three cable tanks to carry fiber optic and power cables. One of the three tanks is fitted with a Carousel system.  
This vessel is built to Bureau Veritas (BV) classification society standards and regulatory requirements of the French Flag Authority. 

In his address during the occasion, Colombo Dockyard Chairman Hideaki Tanaka acknowledged the challenges faced due to the financial crisis in Sri Lanka, leading to the cancellation of significant projects and the risk of losing their standing in the international market. 
However, he expressed great satisfaction in the achievement of delivering C/S Sophie Germain, which serves as a powerful message to the international market. 
Colombo Dockyard operates in joint collaboration with its parent Onomichi Dockyard Company Limited of Japan.