General – Cable installation
DEME Offshore’s DP3 cable installation vessel Living Stone will be deployed for the installation of the new diverse subsea cable Zeus, connecting the UK and mainland Europe.
Zayo Group, the leading global provider of fibre-based communications solutions, selected DEME Offshore because the project adheres to world class engineering and sustainability standards.
Zayo highlighted Living Stone’s dual-fuel capabilities and the fact the vessel utilises biodegradable grease and oil in addition to heat recuperation to decrease fuel consumption.
Recently ‘Living Stone’ showcased its dual-fuel capabilities for the installation of the DolWin6 HVDC cable. This is the first time a cable laying vessel has installed cables while powered on LNG, dramatically reducing emissions.
The new highly fortified, hybrid, ultra-low-loss (ULL) cable will run parallel but diverse to Zayo’s existing Circe North subsea route, directly connecting the UK to mainland Europe via Lowestoft, UK and Zandvoort, Netherlands.
Zeus represents a substantial upgrade in capabilities, with a potential capacity of more than 4,000 TeraBytes per second (Tbps). Zeus will enable critical connectivity and next generation technology within this essential corridor for carriers, hyperscalers and large enterprises, all dependent on low-latency, low-loss and high capacity bandwidth connections.
“The deployment of the subsea Zeus route demonstrates our commitment to expanding our network footprint in Europe while also providing high-quality, essential connections for customers between key global markets,” said Jesper Aagaard, President of Zayo, Europe. “This investment will support the steep rise in global demand for bandwidth and capacity in data use and transfer across multiple sectors, primarily driven by a shift towards cloud services and the rapidly expanding number of networked devices and connections.”
The project adheres to world class engineering and sustainability standards, with measures to ensure low emissions. These measures include the selection of the Living Stone, a vessel powered by dual-fuel capabilities for installation of the marine cable. Additionally, the vessel utilises biodegradable grease and oil in addition to heat recuperation to decrease fuel consumption, as well as minimise carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide emissions.
The Zeus diverse subsea system is owned and operated by Zayo. The commencement of marine operations will begin in August of 2021 and is anticipated to be operational by the end of the first quarter of 2022. Zayo is exploring additional new subsea routes to augment capacity on the Circe South route between the UK and France.