Inside deugro’s High-Stakes Cable Move

By Simon West

From Issue 5, 2025 of Breakbulk Magazine.

(5-minute read)

When it comes to moving complex cargo, timing really can make or break a project.

Even the smallest delay or misstep in communication can derail an entire venture, which is why precision planning, the right transport choices and flawless teamwork are vital. This was the challenge for deugro when it was tasked with transporting 15,500 tons of subsea cable from ports in Japan and Norway to a high-tech cable-laying vessel in Abu Dhabi.

Working for client Samsung C&T, the cables, measuring a combined 700 kilometers long, were required to keep cable-laying operations on track for a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine cable electrification project off the coast of Abu Dhabi. Supporting the effort were deugro’s local teams in Korea, Japan and the UAE.

“From cargo collection at the various ports up to the final delivery, each operational phase depended on the previous one being completed on schedule,” Jong-Yub Han, sales and business development manager of operations at deugro Korea, told Breakbulk. “A delay in one location could have disrupted the entire supply chain.”

To meet the project’s extremely tight schedule, deugro and Samsung C&T agreed on an end-to-end solution covering vessel chartering, ocean transport, inspections, coordination among contractors, scheduling and technical support.

A first delivery originated at the Port of Osaka, Japan. Some 140 kilometers of multi-core round cable (MRC) were loaded directly from a barge to the heavy load carrier UHL Falcon, part of United Heavy Lift’s 19-strong F900 Eco-Lifter fleet. The vessel was equipped with large steel static tanks to carry the cables.

Ahead of the tank installation and spooling operations, and to secure timely departure from Osaka, deugro’s local team worked to meet all the requirements set by the Maritime Warranty Surveyor (MWS), appointed by the consignee.

“The biggest challenge arose from a short-notice requirement by the consignee’s MWS to record acceleration data during the sea voyage to the UAE,” Han said. “Since no measuring system was installed on the UHL Falcon, we quickly rented a motion monitoring system and had it hand-carried to Osaka for immediate installation. For the next two shipments, we chartered suitable F-900s already equipped with their own motion monitoring systems.”

Meanwhile, at Japan’s Port of Hitachi, 280 kilometers of DC400kV cable were spooled directly from the pier onto the UHL Force and the UHL Fierce, also part of UHL’s Eco- Lifter fleet. Each vessel was loaded with 140 kilometers of cables.

The remaining shipment of 280 kilometers of fiber-optic (FO) cable was collected from the Port of Rognan in Norway by BBC Chartering’s heavy-lift vessel BBC Austria. For this phase of the project, two empty FO cable baskets were loaded at the Port of Finneid and shipped to Rognan, where the cables were then spooled into the baskets for their onward voyage to the UAE.

According to Han, the original plan for the FO cables called for the loading of pre-spooled baskets at Rognan. But with the jetty unable to support the weight of two 280- ton units, deugro, the client and the shipper opted instead to load the empty baskets onto the vessel and spool the cables directly from the berth into the ship’s hold.

The technical specifications and sensitivity of all the subsea cables delivered by deugro meant handling required in-depth expertise and experience. “Be it minimum bending diameters, drop height, maximum pulling forces, crush load parameters, sidewall pressure or axial compression, every operational step had to be executed with precision to the centimeter and in accordance with the highest safety standards,” he said.

Operation Enters Critical Phase

In Abu Dhabi, the MRC and DC400kV cables were scheduled to be transloaded onto the Isaac Newton, the largest cable-layer in Jan De Nul’s fleet. Specializing in the deployment of submarine cables, the multipurpose Isaac Newton is capable of carrying and installing 10,500 tonnes of cable in a single trip. The 138-meter-long vessel is also used for offshore support, trenching and subsea rock installation.

For a project forwarder, securing such a highly specialized ship is one of the most critical factors in supply chain planning. Costly to operate and often booked years in advance, any delay in cable delivery can leave an installation vessel sitting idle, triggering project delays, financial losses and potential contractual penalties.

“In the worst case, the vessel is already chartered out and booked for other operations or another project, causing considerable waiting times for all stakeholders,” Han said. “Weather and sea conditions can also play a critical role, as subsea cable-laying must be done at favorable moments. These are often limited to narrow timeframes, which means that missing a delivery deadline can also lead to considerable waiting time for the next safe opportunity.”

With deugro ensuring the safe and timely arrival of all the cables into Abu Dhabi, the next phase of the project could proceed as planned. Because of the cargo’s sensitivity and the lengthy transpooling process, exact alignment between the cable-layer and each of the heavy-lift vessels was paramount.

Anchored alongside one vessel at a time, the Isaac Newton acted as the “master unit,” pulling the cable while controlling the speed and overseeing the entire process. Once the carousel and drive systems were activated, the hauling began, supported by a bow cable engine (BCE), a cable pass system at the shore, and linear cable engines (LCEs) located both onshore and onboard.

“A key operational requirement was to ensure synchronized spooling speeds across all components: BCE, LCEs and the carousel. Each unit had to operate at precisely the same speed to avoid tension imbalances or damage to the cable,” Han said.

While the cable-laying vessel controlled the transpooling, skilled operators monitored each piece of equipment around the clock to respond quickly to any issues. The non-stop operation also called for timely fuel deliveries for the shorebased LCEs, while the transport vessel maintained constant communication with stakeholders, as its onboard crane held and positioned the BCE throughout the operation.

Meanwhile, deugro implemented a different solution for handling the 280 kilometers of FO cable. On reaching Abu Dhabi, the heavy-lift vessel’s crane carefully discharged the cable before it was moved to a storage site at the pier, where it remained until it was ready for loading onto the installation vessel. A mobile crane was deployed to lower the cable into the vessel.

“In general, the handling methods are determined by the nature of the cables and several additional factors,” Han said. “Typically, HVDC cables such as MRC and DC are managed through spooling operations due to their structure and weight. In contrast, FO cables are lighter and smaller, allowing for more flexible handling options.”

Static Tank Disposal

Still, deugro’s work was not finished. Once all the subsea cables had been successfully discharged, the forwarder was tasked with dismantling and disposing of the steel static tanks that had been used to ship the cargo. For this job, permits were secured and close coordination maintained with port authorities to ensure smooth customs processing and berth availability.

Jayanth Suvarna, operations manager at deugro UAE, said 40 skilled workers were mobilized, operating in two shifts to maintain a continuous 24-hour workflow. Despite tight vessel laytime constraints, the disposal was completed in less than four days.

“Port cranes and Mafi trailers were used daily in three shifts to move the cut steel sections ashore. Once completed, a customs inspection was conducted at the designated area, followed by the delivery of the scrap steel to an authorized disposal company,” Suvarna said, highlighting the strong collaboration during this stage of the project between deugro’s operations team, AD Ports Group and port contractors.

Assessing the overall success of the project, Nils Sauerborn, director of offshore solutions at deugro’s global wind renewable energy division, described the project as “an excellent example” of how close cooperation across departments and regions can transform complex cable deliveries into seamless operations.

“By combining our technical knowledge with precise planning and execution, we ensured that every stage met the highest standards,” Sauerborn told Breakbulk. “It’s a great demonstration of what we can achieve together for our clients.”

deugro (USA) will be exhibiting at Breakbulk Americas 2025.

Top photo: Some 140 km of cable are loaded at the Port of Osaka. Credit: deugro
Second: FO cables are lifted by mobile crane at the Port of Abu Dhabi, UAE. Credit: deugro