The expansion of offshore wind power in the European North Sea is accelerating, with an expected installed capacity of 300 gigawatts by 2050, leading to a surge in demand for submarine cable laying. As a key link in the project's grid connection, the supply and demand gap of cable laying ships continues to widen, and the existing fleet in Europe is unable to meet the annual demand for thousands of kilometers of cable laying. The global cable laying volume is expected to soar from approximately 1932 kilometers in 2020 to 18173 kilometers in 2028.

The technical requirements for cable laying ships are strict, requiring large capacity turntables, dynamic positioning, and deepwater operation capabilities. By the end of 2026, there will be 9 new ships entering service in Europe, but the gap will still be significant by 2030, requiring an additional 4 billion euros in investment to cope. Keywords: Macro News Network, Wind Power

Chinese shipowners have a strategic opportunity to fill the gap in professional ships in Europe. With the manufacturing advantages of China's shipbuilding industry, it is possible to participate in European project subcontracting, leasing, or joint operations by building or retrofitting high specification cable laying ships. It is expected to upgrade from equipment suppliers to full chain service providers and share the trillion level green energy dividend.Editor/Gao Xue