Jan De Nul orders giant cable layer

Image: Jan De Nul

Upping the ante in the cable layer market, Belgium’s Jan de Nul Group has placed an order at the CMHI shipyard in China for an extra-large cable-laying ship. Set for delivery in 2026, it will have a cable carrying capacity of 28,000 tonnes. That compares with the 13,500 tonnes cable capacity of the cable lay vessel just ordered at Ulstein by Nexans.

The Jan De Nul newbuild is named Fleeming Jenkin after Henry Charles Fleeming Jenkin (1833-1885), a regius professor of engineering at the University of Edinburgh who was a pioneer in offshore cable installation.

With offshore wind farms going into deeper waters and further offshore, and increasing demands for interconnectivity between countries and regions, both markets today require longer, stronger and heavier cables to be laid in deeper waters, says Jan De Nul .

“We stand firm in our belief in the energy transition. Following our previous investments in the jack-up vessel Voltaire and crane vessel Les Alizés for the installation of the next-gen wind turbines and their foundations, we now proceed with this magnificent cable-laying vessel,” says Philippe Hutse, director offshore energy division at Jan De Nul Group. “Thanks to her unprecedented capabilities, Fleeming Jenkin will be a perfect fit for the interconnector and export cable markets.”

With delivery of the giant cable layer Jan De Nul’s offshore installation fleet will include four powerful and capable cable-laying vessels, two offshore jack-up installation vessels, three floating crane installation vessels, five rock installation vessels and two multipurpose vessels.

Fleeming Jenkin will be equipped with three cable carousels and a large hold for fibre optic cables, capable of laying up to four cables simultaneously. Two carousels are mounted on deck, with a third below deck. The combined cable-carrying capacity amounts to 28,000 tonnes, which is double the capacity of any other cable-laying vessel on the market.

The vessel is designed to install longer and heavier cables, into ultra-deep waters up to 3,000 meters.

On the aft deck, the vessel is equipped with a chute and a cable-laying wheel. In combination with the tensioners, the chute allows installation of cables in shallow waters, while the cable-laying wheel makes installation at great depths more efficient. The tensioners enable the vessel to handle and control cable tensions up to 150 tonnes – the weight of the Statue of Liberty.

The vessel is equipped with a powerful DP2 system, enabling her to operate steadily in both deep and shallow waters, thanks to an additional third bow thruster.

“Fleeming Jenkin bundles all the cable installation expertise we’ve gained over the past decade,” says Wouter Vermeersch, manager offshore cables at Jan De Nul Group. “This vessel and technologies on board are designed by our in-house specialists. In 2013 we changed the power cable installation market by introducing our cable-laying vessel Isaac Newton with higher carrying capacities than available on the market. Today, we continue our pioneering entrepreneurship by ordering the world’s most advanced cable-laying vessel. We look forward to welcoming this new ability to further satisfy our customers worldwide.”

Fleeming Jenkin will be equipped with a highly advanced dual exhaust filter system which removes up to 99% of nanoparticles from emissions using a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and a selective catalytic reduction system (SCR) for NOx removal. The Ultra-low emission vessel (ULEv) system also significantly reduces exhaust gas pollutants.

Thanks to the ULEv system, the vessel complies with the strict European Stage V emission standards for inland waterway vessels. Moreover, the NOx emissions are reduced to such an extent that this vessel meets the even stricter EURO VI emission limits.

The vessel is powered by engines that can run on biofuel and green methanol and will carry a methanol fuel/dual fuel class notation. Further contributing to CO2 reduction and optimal fuel use will be a hybrid power plant combining the generators with a 2.5 MWh battery and drive technology, designed for peak shaving, load smoothening, spinning reserve and optimized engine loading.

Jan De Nul has already started recruiting extra crew and staff members to operate Fleeming Jenkin. Supported by an extensive in-house training program, a multidisciplinary team of dynamic positioning officers, engineering technicians, tensioner carrousel operators, cable-laying superintendents, various specialized offshore technicians and civil and mechanical engineers will be put together and become part of Jan De Nul’s specialized offshore energy work force.