DeepOcean has completed installation and testing of all the inter-array cables at the 660MW Nordseecluster A offshore wind farm site, located around 50km north of Juist island in the German North Sea.
The company conducted the cable work between January and April 2026, installing a total of 48 inter-array cables despite challenging offshore weather conditions.
Nordseecluster A is the first phase of the larger 1.6GW Nordseecluster project.
The site, which will feature 44 Vestas V236-15MW wind turbines, is scheduled for full commissioning in early 2027.
DeepOcean’s remit covered a range of tasks including project management and engineering, the delivery of cable protection systems, preparatory works, transport and installation of the cables, and cable burial activities.
According to DeepOcean, the cable-laying activities began in January 2026 and were supported by a fleet of four vessels.
These included two of its chartered vessels, the Olympic Ares and M/S Volantis, alongside two additional walk-to-work vessels for support.
The Olympic Ares was specially fitted with a carousel and lay spread to handle the cable-laying operations and can use this equipment across other vessels in DeepOcean’s fleet.
For subsea trenching and burial, the M/S Volantis utilised the UT-1 jet trenching system, a 2,800hp machine capable of working with cables and pipelines up to 46in wide.
The UT-1 system enables trenching to depths of more than 3m and is suitable for use in water depths reaching 2,500m.
Seabed survey activities were also undertaken using a separate vessel from the DeepOcean fleet.
DeepOcean CEO Øyvind Mikaelsen said: “We are proud to have successfully managed and coordinated such an extensive installation campaign, involving four vessels and more than 200 people engaged between DeepOcean and its partners, with the schedule optimised in a robust and safe manner. We thank RWE for entrusting us with this responsibility.”
Project management was coordinated from DeepOcean’s Aberdeen, UK office, with additional support from its teams in Haugesund and Oslo in Norway.
The Nordseecluster wind project is co-owned by RWE, which holds a 51% stake, and Norges Bank Investment Management, which owns the remaining 49%.
RWE is responsible for overseeing construction and managing operations for the entire lifespan of the Nordseecluster wind farms.
In April 2026, DeepOcean secured an installation support contract for inter-array cables at the 295MW TPC offshore wind farm phase two, situated 6.5–20km off the coast of Lukang in Changhua County, Taiwan.
