Prysmian Unveils Submarine Cable Laying Vessel and Factory Expansion

14 May 2025

Prysmian Monna Lisa. (Image credit: Prysmian)

Prysmian has celebrated a major milestone in enhancing its global market-leading Transmission business with the completion of the capacity expansion of its plant in Pikkala, Finland, together with the christening of its state-of-the-art cable laying vessel, the Prysmian Monna Lisa, which is now fully operational. The event also featured the participation of Anders Adlercreutz, Finland's Minister of Education, Matti Lassila, Finnish Ambassador to Rome, and Nicola Todaro Marescotti, the Italian Embassy Ambassador, highlighting the pivotal role of international collaboration in advancing technological innovation and educational development in accelerating growth.

Massimo Battaini, CEO Prysmian, said: “Transmission is a major driver of organic growth. We have been making outstanding progress over the past months, and thanks to our long-term vision, we are now seeing our position further strengthened as these two hugely important assets come into operation. What we have invested in is also an investment in Europe and an investment in our collective energy security and independence. The connections at the heart of Europe’s energy system are being manufactured by us here in Finland—but also in Italy, Germany, France, and beyond, where we are also increasing capacity—while our vessels will enable Europe to connect with new frontiers as we unlock new territories thanks to our deep-sea capabilities. Today, we also celebrate innovation—this tallest tower brings the factory to the sky, while our unmatched vessel fleet is not only unlocking solutions but is always more sustainable in how it does it. There is no energy transition without Transmission, and as the global leader, we are continuously working to meet the demands of our customers and society while leaving a lasting positive legacy for the planet.”

Prysmian Tower. (Image credit: Prysmian)

These significant milestones are in line with Prysmian’s commitment to invest to meet the growing demand in submarine cables driven by interconnectors and offshore wind. Prysmian has invested around €850 million in boosting its cable-laying vessels and installation equipment since 2018. By 2028 Prysmian will have 8 vessels in operation, far more than any other competitor.

When a Factory Becomes a Skyscraper

Prysmian invested over €200 million to boost the production capacity for the high-voltage submarine cables in Pikkala, using vertical continuous vulcanization. The new line is housed in the ‘Prysmian Tower’—the highest building in all of Finland and can produce around 1 km of cable every day. The new ‘Prysmian Tower’ is over 185 meters tall, setting a new record for Finland, and has been built to produce HVDC 525 kV submarine cables in the most effective way.

Prysmian Monna Lisa Comes Online

Prysmian Monna Lisa was christened yesterday at the Pikkala site in Finland. The vessel is purpose-built for submarine cable installation, with two carousels of 7,000 tonnes and 10,000 tonnes of submarine cable, and is the most environmentally conscious vessel in the sector thanks to its high voltage shore connection, battery hybrid system, and diesel generators compatible with biodiesel blends. The vessel, which spans an enormous 171 meters, is now at work and dedicated to cable laying operations worldwide and boosts the ability to break the world record for submarine cable depth—an achievement that the Prysmian Leonardo da Vinci vessel also made last year. The Prysmian Monna Lisa will join an unrivaled fleet of 8 cable laying vessels that complement a variety of high-tech burial tools (from soft soil to rocky soil), which give Prysmian a unique position in terms of project versatility and flexibility.

Prysmian’s versatile fleet has been recently complemented by a quick response vessel dedicated to inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR), thanks to Prysmian’s recently announced agreement with N-Sea (Link here). This vessel enhances the security and reliability of submarine cables making Prysmian the only player that can achieve the shortest response in the market, by reducing the mobilization time to zero.