DeepOcean and TFKable Group form joint venture to deliver integrated inter-array cable services for offshore wind
DeepOcean and TFKable Group — the controlling entity comprising Tele-Fonika Kable and JDR Cable Systems — have announced an agreement to form a joint venture that will deliver integrated EPCI services for offshore wind inter-array cable projects. The partnership also includes plans for a dedicated newbuild cable-laying vessel.
Joint venture announced for offshore wind cable services
The deal brings two distinct but complementary parts of the offshore wind supply chain under one delivery structure. TFKable Group — comprising Tele-Fonika Kable, JDR Cable Systems, and their affiliated entities — contributes subsea cable design and manufacturing expertise. DeepOcean brings offshore engineering, installation, and seabed intervention capabilities. The goal: a single point of accountability across the entire inter-array cable project lifecycle.
A purpose-built cable-laying vessel is also planned. That’s a significant capital commitment, signaling that both partners are thinking well beyond the near term. The venture still needs approval from relevant competition authorities and the completion of standard closing requirements before it becomes official.
Piotr Mirek, a Member of the Management Board of Tele-Fonika Kable and Executive Director for Supply Chains and Investments in JDR Cable Systems, echoed that view.
Why the partners decided to combine capabilities
Offshore wind developers have been pushing for tighter supply chain integration for a while. Managing multiple contractors across cable manufacturing, transportation, and installation creates friction — and friction tends to show up as cost overruns and schedule delays. The pitch for a single integrated provider is straightforward: fewer handoffs, clearer accountability.
“Offshore wind developers are increasingly looking for greater collaboration and integration across the supply chain,” said Øyvind Mikaelsen, CEO of DeepOcean. “By combining complementary cable manufacturing and offshore installation capabilities, we intend to create a more efficient delivery model that reduces interfaces, strengthens risk management and supports greater project certainty.”
Piotr Mirek, a Member of the Management Board of Tele-Fonika Kable and Executive Director for Supply Chains and Investments in JDR Cable Systems, echoed that view. “Together with DeepOcean’s offshore engineering and installation capabilities, we see an opportunity to offer customers a more integrated solution covering a broader part of the cable project lifecycle.”
Both companies are clear that their strengths don’t overlap — they complement each other. That distinction matters. Joint ventures built on redundant capabilities tend to run into trouble; this one is designed around a gap.
Scope of services and planned cable-laying vessel
The integrated offering is built to cover the full range of activities an inter-array cable project requires — seabed mapping, route surveys, engineering, cable manufacturing and transportation, trenching, installation, and cable protection. The scope is deliberately wide, targeting the stages where contractor interfaces most commonly cause problems.
For now, the joint venture will focus on inter-array cable systems. The partners have flagged potential to expand into other subsea cable applications down the line, though no specific targets have been named.
The planned cable-laying vessel adds an interesting dimension. It won’t sit directly within the joint venture. Instead, it’ll be owned through a separate vessel-owning entity that includes Poland’s state-owned industrial development agency, ARP (Agencja Rozwoju Przemyslu S.A.), alongside DeepOcean and TFKable Group’s controlling entity. Work is already moving toward the project sanction milestones needed before construction can begin. TFKable Group is also investing in subsea cable manufacturing capacity in both Poland and the United Kingdom, which will support the integrated offering as it scales.
Timeline and development milestones through 2029
This isn’t a single launch event — it’s a multi-year development program. Capabilities will come online progressively as the program advances, with key milestones planned through 2029, though the partners haven’t publicly detailed the specific sequence.
Work on the cable-laying vessel is already underway. The partners describe progress as “currently progressing” toward the milestones needed for project sanction — a standard threshold in capital-intensive offshore projects before a final investment decision is made.
In the meantime, both DeepOcean and TFKable Group will keep operating independently, supporting existing and future customers with installation services or product supply on a project-by-project basis. The shift to integrated delivery is gradual by design.
Background: Growing demand for integrated offshore wind cable solutions
Inter-array cables are the subsea links connecting individual wind turbines within an offshore wind farm to each other and to the substation. Not glamorous infrastructure, but critical. Delays or failures in inter-array cable delivery can hold up an entire project.
The offshore wind sector has faced well-documented supply chain pressure in recent years — bottlenecks in cable manufacturing capacity, a shortage of purpose-built installation vessels, both contributing to delays and cost increases across the industry. Integrated EPCI contracts are one response. When one party is responsible for both making and installing the cable, the coordination problem gets considerably smaller.
ARP’s involvement adds context worth noting. Poland has significant offshore wind ambitions in the Baltic Sea, and domestic participation in supply chain infrastructure fits national industrial policy goals. ARP’s role in the vessel-owning entity reflects that interest directly.
Capabilities will be introduced progressively
DeepOcean and TFKable Group have agreed to form a joint venture targeting integrated EPCI services for offshore wind inter-array cable projects. The venture combines TFKable Group’s cable manufacturing expertise — across Tele-Fonika Kable and JDR Cable Systems — with DeepOcean’s offshore engineering and installation capabilities. A dedicated cable-laying vessel is planned through a separate entity that also includes Poland’s ARP. The program is structured around milestones through 2029, with capabilities introduced progressively. Both companies will keep serving customers independently in the interim, and the joint venture still requires competition authority approval.
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