Underwater, Marine & ROV Cables /Marine & Shipboard

Marine Cable (CEFR/NEK 606 Standard) — EPR-Insulated CSP-Sheathed Fire-Retardant Marine Power and Control Cable to CEFR and NEK 606 Specifications for Shipboard and Offshore Oil and Gas Applications

Name: Marine Cable (CEFR/NEK 606 Standard) — EPR-Insulated CSP-Sheathed Fire-Retardant Marine Power and Control Cable to CEFR and NEK 606 Specifications for Shipboard and Offshore Oil and Gas Applications
Brand: Yichi Cable
SKU: marine-cable-cefrnek-606-standard

Marine cable CEFR/NEK 606: EPR-insulated CSP-sheathed fire-retardant power cable, 1.5-300 mm2, 0.6/1 kV, CEFR/NEK 606 standard, offshore/marine. CE, RoHS.

Key Features

Dual-standard compliance — manufactured to both CEFR (Chinese marine cable standard: C=shipboard, E=EPR insulation, F=flame retardant, R=flexible) and NEK 606 (Norwegian offshore standard for halogen-free mud-resistant cables); a single cable meets the requirements of both Asian and North Sea offshore specifications

EPR (ethylene propylene rubber) core insulation rated 90°C — maintains flexibility and dielectric strength in the engine room heat, on the weather deck, and in offshore hazardous areas; superior to PVC for marine duty

CSP (chlorosulfonated polyethylene / Hypalon) or PCP (neoprene) outer sheath — fire retardant, oil and mud resistant, and mechanically tough; the standard sheath for marine and offshore cables per both CEFR and NEK 606

Tinned copper conductors — corrosion resistance for the marine environment; IEC 60228 Class 2 (stranded) for power conductors, Class 5 (fine stranded) for control and smaller cross-sections

Broad conductor range 1.5–300 mm² in 1–5 cores — covers from lighting and small power circuits to main generator feeders with 300 mm² single-core cables

0.6/1 kV rated — the standard low-voltage power distribution voltage on vessels and offshore platforms; CEFR cables above 1.8/3 kV also available on request

Fire retardant to IEC 60332-3-22 — mandatory for marine cable installation; NEK 606 additionally requires halogen-free and mud-resistant performance per the Norwegian offshore standard

CE, RoHS compliant; manufactured with full batch test documentation per CEFR and NEK 606 requirements

Applications

Shipboard power distribution — main switchboard to section board, motor control centre, and distribution panel feeder cables on commercial vessels, naval ships, and offshore support vesselsOffshore platform power and control — topside power distribution, emergency generator feeders, fire pump motor cables, and process equipment power on fixed and floating oil and gas platformsDrilling rig and drillship electrical systems — power cables for drawworks, top drive, mud pumps, and auxiliary systems on MODUs (Mobile Offshore Drilling Units) per NEK 606FPSO and FLNG vessel electrical systems — process plant power, offloading pump motor cables, and accommodation module power on floating production, storage, and offloading vesselsEmergency and safety systems — fire pump motor power, emergency switchboard feeders, and lifeboat davit power cables that must maintain circuit integrity during a fire eventMarine and offshore lighting — lighting distribution cables for engine room, accommodation, deck, and helideck lighting circuits

Technical Specifications

Cable Type	Marine power and control cable to CEFR and NEK 606 specifications
Conductor Material	Tinned copper, IEC 60228 Class 2 (stranded, power) or Class 5 (fine stranded, control)
Conductor Cross-Section	1.5–300 mm² (power); 0.75–6 mm² (control cores in multi-core cables)
Number of Cores	1, 2, 3, 4, 5; multi-core control up to 37 cores on request
Core Insulation	EPR (ethylene propylene rubber); 90°C rated; wall thickness per IEC 60092-353
Core Identification	Per HD 308 S2; black numbered or color-coded with green/yellow earth
Core Assembly	Concentric stranding for multi-core; non-hygroscopic filler elements
Inner Sheath	Rubber compound; extruded or taped over the core assembly
Outer Sheath	CSP (Hypalon) or PCP (neoprene); 1.5–4.0 mm wall; black standard; grey or blue on request
Rated Voltage (U₀/U)	0.6/1 kV (standard low-voltage); 1.8/3 kV to 8.7/15 kV on request
Test Voltage	3 500 V AC, 5 minutes (0.6/1 kV)
Insulation Resistance	≥100 MΩ·km at 20°C (EPR)
Conductor Resistance	Per IEC 60228 Class 2 or Class 5
Temperature — Conductor (Continuous)	90°C (EPR rated)
Temperature — Short Circuit	250°C (maximum 5 seconds)
Temperature — Ambient (Fixed)	-40°C to +85°C
Temperature — Ambient (Flexing)	-25°C to +60°C
Minimum Bend Radius (Fixed)	6× cable OD
Minimum Bend Radius (Installation)	8× cable OD
Flame Retardant (Single)	IEC 60332-1-2
Flame Retardant (Bundled, Cat A)	IEC 60332-3-22 (CEFR) or IEC 60332-3-22 + NEK 606 mud resistance (NEK 606)
Halogen Content (NEK 606)	HCl ≤0.5% per IEC 60754-1 — halogen-free
Smoke Emission	IEC 61034-2; ≥60% light transmittance
Oil Resistance	IRM 902 + IRM 903 per IEC 60811-404; CSP/PCP superior to PVC
Mud Resistance (NEK 606)	Specific NEK 606 drilling mud resistance test; CSP sheath resists oil-based and water-based drilling fluids
Ozone Resistance	Excellent (CSP/PCP sheath)
UV Resistance	Good (black CSP/PCP sheath with carbon black)
Marine Borer Resistance	CSP/PCP sheath resists teredo and marine borer attack
Maximum DC Resistance of Earth Conductor	Per IEC 60092-353
Certifications	CE, RoHS; CEFR standard reference; NEK 606 compliance checklist; DNV/ABS/LR type approval on request

Detailed Description

What Is a CEFR / NEK 606 Marine Cable?

CEFR and NEK 606 are two of the most widely specified marine cable standards in the world — CEFR originates from Chinese shipbuilding practice, and NEK 606 is the Norwegian standard for offshore oil and gas installations. A cable manufactured to both specifications meets the requirements of shipyards and offshore operators across Asia and the North Sea — the two largest marine and offshore markets.

The name CEFR encodes the cable's construction in the Chinese standard system:

Letter	Chinese	Meaning
C	船用 (chuan-yong)	Shipboard / marine use
E	乙丙橡胶 (yi-bing xiang-jiao)	EPR (ethylene propylene rubber) insulation
F	阻燃 (zu-ran)	Flame retardant
R	软 (ruan)	Flexible conductor (Class 5 fine stranded for control cables; Class 2 for power cables)

NEK 606 — formally NEK TS 606 — is a Norwegian technical specification for halogen-free, mud-resistant cables used in offshore oil and gas installations. It mandates the same fire safety performance as CEFR (bundled flame retardant to IEC 60332-3-22) with the additional requirement of halogen-free construction and resistance to drilling fluids — essential for cables on drilling rigs and wellhead platforms where the cable may be exposed to oil-based and water-based drilling mud.

CEFR vs NEK 606 — What the Dual Standard Means

Requirement	CEFR	NEK 606	Yichi Dual-Standard Cable
Insulation	EPR, 90°C	EPR or XLPE, 90°C	EPR, 90°C — meets both
Sheath	CSP (Hypalon) or PCP (neoprene)	Halogen-free CSP or special LSZH compound	CSP (Hypalon) — meets both; halogen-free per NEK 606
Flame retardant	IEC 60332-3-22 Cat A	IEC 60332-3-22 Cat A	Passes Cat A — meets both
Halogen content	Not specifically required by CEFR	≤0.5% HCl per IEC 60754-1	≤0.5% — meets NEK 606
Mud resistance	Not required by CEFR	Required by NEK 606 — drilling fluid exposure test	CSP resists oil-based and water-based mud — meets NEK 606
Oil resistance	Required — IRM 902/903	Required	CSP — meets both
Conductor	Tinned copper	Tinned copper	Tinned copper — meets both

The dual-standard cable covers the requirements of both specifications. For a shipyard in Asia building a vessel for a European operator, a dual-standard CEFR/NEK 606 cable satisfies both the local classification society (CCS) and the operator's corporate specification (NEK 606). For an offshore project in Southeast Asia, the same cable meets the regional standard (CEFR) while providing the enhanced fire and mud resistance of the North Sea standard (NEK 606).

Application Analysis

Commercial vessel power distribution: Main and emergency switchboard feeders, section board supply cables, and motor control centre power cables on tankers, bulk carriers, container ships, and cruise vessels built to CEFR specification
Offshore support vessel (OSV) and platform supply vessel (PSV): Deck equipment power (towing winch, anchor handling winch, crane), engine room auxiliary power, and dynamic positioning (DP) system motor feeders
Drilling rig electrical systems: Top drive motor power, mud pump motor feeders, drawworks motor cables, and BOP control system power on jack-up rigs, semi-submersibles, and drillships per NEK 606
FPSO topside power: Process equipment (separator, compressor, pump motor) power cables, offloading pump motor feeders, and flare system cables
Emergency and safety-critical circuits: Fire pump motor power, emergency generator output cables, and fire damper actuator power — circuits that must maintain integrity during a fire