Nexans Partners with Crowley Wind Services to Develop First-of-its-Kind U.S. Cable Lay Barge

• Nexans and Crowley partner to develop the first-of-its-kind U.S.-flagged cable lay barge dedicated to supporting the installation of subsea power cables
• The 300-foot barge features a 3,500-ton capacity carousel and can be reconfigured to meet future projects’ requirements
• The barge is currently supporting Equinor’s Empire Wind offshore wind farm for New York and can be configured to lay or repair cable for a multitude of other subsea applications

New York, July 31, 2025 – Nexans, a leader in the world’s energy transition which invested in the US with its subsea transmission cable manufacturing facility in South Carolina, today announces a groundbreaking partnership with Crowley Wind Services, a leading American shipping and logistics company, to develop and operate a first-of-a-kind Jones Act Compliant U.S.-flagged cable lay barge. Dedicated to supporting the installation of subsea transmission lines necessary for offshore wind energy, telecommunications, and other major industrial applications, this collaboration underscores both companies' commitment to providing solutions for the expansion of U.S. energy sources and other industrial uses that require underwater cabling.

The 300-foot barge, built in Louisiana and tested in the Gulf of America to Nexans specifications, will be crewed by American mariners. The vessel will play a critical role in laying and burying the subsea cables needed to deliver energy from offshore to the grid onshore. The barge boasts a dynamic positioning system and a multiple-anchors positioning system, which allow for accurate cable placement, even in challenging conditions.

The barge also carries a 3,500-ton capacity carousel to lay and bury subsea cable using burial tools such as a vertical injector, a jet sled, or a jetting ROV, with the potential to be upgraded to 7,000 tons with two carousels for bundle cable lay and burial. The barge is currently supporting Equinor’s Empire Wind offshore wind farm for New York and can be configured to lay or repair cable for a multitude of other subsea applications.

Pascal Radue, EVP of Nexans' PWR-Transmission Business Group, highlights the significance of the partnership: "This barge will support our existing fleet of cable laying vessels, the Nexans CLV Aurora, Nexans C/S Skagerrak, and Nexans CLV Electra, and we are pleased to be working with Crowley on developing the capability to lay nearshore subsea cable in the US."

“The cable lay barge will provide a productive supply chain solution for offshore energy, telecommunications and other sectors ,” says Graham Tyson, vice president of operations, Crowley Wind Services. “Coupled with  our U.S. maritime fleet and mariners providing feedering services and other logistics and project management capabilities, we could not be better equipped to serve the needs of industries seeking subsea cable solutions.