OMS Group CS Resilience Reaches Keel-Laying Milestone

Publication Staff, OMS Group
October 13, 2026

Workers at CRIST Shipyard in Gdynia, Poland, placed the keel of OMS Group's CS Resilience on September 17, 2026. OMS Group and Ulstein disclosed the milestone in official updates dated October 13. The ceremony begins assembly of the ship's hull and moves the project beyond the steel-cutting stage announced in July. CS Resilience is the initial ship in a pair of next-generation cable vessels based on Ulstein's SX252 design for the GREAT-Class fleet.

At 130 meters long, the newbuild is intended to install and maintain subsea telecommunications systems while carrying as much as 6,500 tonnes of cable. The handling arrangement divides storage among two primary tanks and two smaller spare-cable tanks. A hangar covers the working cable deck, while an open area above can accommodate remotely operated vehicles and containers. The design supports burial depths of up to three meters, ROV-assisted operations, and ploughing through a 50-tonne A-frame paired with a towing winch.

The two-ship program is positioned to increase marine capacity for fibre-optic network construction, repair, burial, and maintenance, including work in Asia-Pacific and other markets. The investment matters because cable owners and suppliers depend on a limited specialist fleet to build new systems and restore existing ones. Ulstein's X-BOW hull form is designed to moderate vessel movement in difficult seas, reducing stress on cables and deck machinery while supporting safer operations. Combined with its cable handling, burial, and ROV facilities, that feature gives CS Resilience a broad planned role across installation and lifecycle support.

CS Resilience remains at CRIST for hull construction. Its next confirmed transition will take the hull to Ulstein Verft in Norway, where the yard will fit out the ship, integrate its systems, commission it, and prepare it for delivery. Ulstein Verft also holds overall project-management responsibility, and Ulstein Power & Control will install the hybrid power and automation package. Both SX252 vessels are still expected to enter service in 2028, so the keel ceremony confirms construction progress rather than near-term operational availability.

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