Colombo Dockyard has signed a major shipbuilding contract with France’s Orange Marine to construct two next-generation cable-laying vessels, strengthening the Sri Lankan yard’s growing ties with leading European shipowners.
The agreement, finalized last week, marks a continued expansion of the partnership established in 2023, when Colombo Dockyard delivered the Sophie Germain—its first cable-lay and repair vessel built for a European client. That project helped pave the way for the new order and demonstrated the yard’s technical capability in the subsea sector.
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Under the latest contract, Colombo Dockyard will build two advanced cable maintenance ships capable of also installing connecting cable segments up to 1,000 kilometers in length. The new builds are part of Orange Marine’s long-term fleet modernization strategy and will replace two aging vessels: the 42-year-old Léon Thévenin, currently operating out of South Africa, and the 38-year-old Antonio Meucci, based in Italy. Delivery is scheduled for 2029.
Once commissioned, the vessels will expand Orange Marine’s maintenance fleet to four ships, supporting subsea cable operations across the Atlantic, English Channel, North Sea, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, and Red Sea.
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“As a leader in global digital infrastructure, Orange manages more than 450,000 kilometers of undersea cables connecting all continents,” said Michaël Trabbia, CEO of Orange Wholesale. “This strategic investment in our fleet of cable ships will be key to ensuring the resilience and security of the global internet.”
The new ships will share several design characteristics with the Sophie Germain, including an overall length of 100 meters, an 18.8-meter beam, a depth of 7.5 meters, a deadweight capacity of 1,800 DWT, and a service speed of 14.5 knots.
