deugro Milan, the Italian branch of the global project logistics specialist deugro, has successfully delivered 58 kilometres and 3,550 metric tons of Prysmian HVAC subsea cable for the Cyclades IV Interconnector Project, transporting the cargo from Prysmian’s factory in Finland to the transshipment port Heraklion on the Island of Crete in Greece,
The Cyclades Project is an HVAC interconnector project, connecting the Southern and Western Cyclades with the mainland grid. To ensure the timely delivery of cables to the cable-laying vessel, deugro designed and implemented a customized, all-in-one solution for its client Prysmian. The solution included the end-to-end coordination of the cargo transport—from cable pick-up at the client’s cable manufacturing facility in Pikkala, Finland, to ocean transport and the final delivery in Heraklion (Crete), Greece.
deugro’s scope of work also encompassed the provision of a 23-meter-diameter carousel spread, along with engineering services, cable spooling, relevant personnel and all associated activities to guarantee safe and efficient operations. To meet the project schedule and all technical requirements, deugro’s Chartering experts successfully secured the heavy-lift deck carrier Vestvind.
To ensure safe ocean transport and seamless spooling operations during cargo collection and delivery, deugro’s teams in Rotterdam and Milan implemented several technical modifications prior to the vessel’s deployment. These preparations included the installation of the 23-meter-diameter carousel spread, along with a loading tower, deck tensioner, and auxiliary deck equipment such as generators and a staircase tower.
The system was designed to safely accommodate 58 kilometres of Prysmian subsea cables, ensuring smooth and direct spooling operations. All installations were carried out at the Ports of Rotterdam and Vlissingen in the Netherlands, in collaboration with deugro’s Rotterdam office and supported by local partners. After eight days, the equipment was fully installed, and the deck carrier departed on schedule to collect the cables in Finland.
At the Prysmian factory port in Pikkala, the cables were spooled into the carousel under the continuous supervision and testing of the client, deugro, dteq Transport Engineering Solutions and the subcontracted spooling team. Throughout the operations, Prysmian’s factory remained in full operation. Given the vessel’s anchorage approximately 400 meters offshore, constant monitoring and precise alignment of the mooring system along the mooring buoys were essential to ensure stability and operational safety.
After almost ten days, the cables were successfully spooled into the tank and the deck carrier could depart for the project site in Heraklion, Greece, where the cables were unspooled to the installation vessel within seven days, ensuring that the schedule of the cable-laying project remained on track. Immediately following the successful cable delivery, the Vestvind departed Crete and sailed nonstop to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for prompt demobilization and handover of both equipment and vessel.
“This project represents a significant milestone for our Milan branch office, and also for our Global Wind Renewable Energy team, highlighting our expertise in managing complex offshore cable logistics. It underscores our commitment to delivering high-quality solutions and maintaining strict schedules, ensuring the seamless operations and success of our clients’ ambitious projects,” said Kasper Heiselberg, Head of Global Wind Renewable Energy at deugro.
“Thanks to the well-established collaboration with the client and partners—combined with our team’s proven expertise in onshore and offshore cable logistics—the delivery of the 58 kilometers of Prysmian HVAC cables was completed on time and in full alignment with the demanding project schedule, ensuring uninterrupted progress of the cable-laying operations for the Cyclades IV Interconnector Project. We thank all partners and stakeholders whose contributions made this operation smooth, seamless and successful,” said Nils Sauerborn, Vertical Manager, Transmission Solutions | Global Wind Renewable Energy at deugro.
“From the very beginning, the project presented several challenges, such as sourcing the only vessel available capable of loading a 23-meter carousel suitable for cable loading, and dealing with the notoriously poor weather conditions along the Finland–Crete route. However, thanks to the close collaboration and combined expertise of the teams at deugro Milan and deugro Rotterdam, and deugro’s Global Wind Renewable Energy division—alongside the technical support of their partners at dteq Transport Engineering Solutions—the operation was executed successfully. All 58 kilometers of cable were transshipped onto the cable-laying vessel as planned, to the full satisfaction of the client. Personally, I had the opportunity to attend both the loading operations in Finland and the transshipment in Crete, gaining valuable insight into all the implications of such a complex operation,” said Francesco Pignati, Project Manager, deugro Italy.
