Jan De Nul invests in newbuild trenching vessel for subsea cables

Jan De Nul director subsea cables Wouter Vermeersch said, “With Fleeming Jenkin and William Thomson, we will soon be expanding our fleet with two large cable-lay vessels.

“Investing in vessels that can protect cables is a logical next step. Last year, we announced details of the rock installation vessel George W Goethals, which protects cables and other energy infrastructure with a protective rock layer. Now we are also expanding our fleet with vessels designed to bury cables safely in the seabed.” 

The newbuild trenching support vessel will be equipped with a trencher that can bury cables up to 5 m deep. The vessel is an Ulstein design and will be built at the CMHI shipyard in China. 

Ulstein said the design will be purpose-built for subsea trenching, and will have the Ulstein X-Bow hullform, which improves comfort, reduces wave resistance and fuel consumption.

Like all recent vessels ordered by Jan De Nul, it will be an ultra-low emissions vessel. 

In addition, Jan De Nul is to convert its vessel Henry Darcy, currently configured as a water injection dredger, into a trenching support vessel, and equip it with a trenching machine designed to bury cables in shallow water. The new trenching unit for this vessel has been ordered from Osbit in the UK. The company did not indicate which company would provide the trenching unit for the newbuild.