French company Orange Marine has ordered two hybrid-electric cable ships to be built in Sri Lanka.

The two ships featuring a diesel-electric propulsion system will be built by Colombo Dockyard, the company said in a LinkedIn post earlier this week.

They will replace the ageing ships, Léon Thévenin and the Antonio Meucci, built in the 1980s.

“With this strategic investment, the Orange Group will operate the most advanced and modern maintenance fleet in the world, capable of intervening across key regions: Atlantic, English Channel, Mediterranean, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and North Sea,” the company said.

Apart from this, the two ships will be capable of connecting to shore power while docked.