Jan De Nul orders twin to XL cable-layer Fleeming Jenkin

Jan De Nul has ordered a new XL cable-laying vessel (CLV), identical to the Fleeming Jenkin ordered at a Chinese shipyard last year. With a cable-carrying capacity of 28,000 tonnes, the vessels are said to be the largest capacity CLVs in the world.

Like Fleeming Jenkin, the new vessel will be 215 meters long and can be powered by biofuel and green methanol.

Designed by the company’s own specialists, the vessels will be capable of laying cables in both shallow and ultra-deep waters up to 3,000 meters and handling cable tensions of up to 150 tonnes.

The vessels will be equipped with ultra-low emission vessel (ULEv) technology, an advanced dual exhaust filter system, said to remove up to 99% of nanoparticles from emissions using a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and a selective catalytic reduction system (SCR) for NOx removal, as well as significantly reduce exhaust gas pollutants.

According to Jan De Nul, thanks to the ULEv system, the vessels comply with the European Stage V emission standards for inland waterway vessels and the NOx emissions are reduced to such an extent that the vessels even meet EURO VI emission limits.

The hybrid power plant on board, which combines the generators with a 2.5 MWh battery and drive technology, also contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions and optimal fuel usage.

Fleeming Jenkin, which will be delivered in 2026, has already been booked for its first projects.

“At the time of ordering our cable-laying vessel Isaac Newton back in 2013, we changed the power cable installation market by introducing a vessel with higher carrying capacities than available on the market at that time,” said Wouter Vermeersch, Offshore Cables Department at Jan De Nul.

“Yet, 10 years later we continue our pioneering entrepreneurship with the world’s most advanced cable-laying vessels, including an unrivalled carrying capacity of 28,000 tonnes, the capability to install up to four cables at once and installation equipment to lay power cables in ultra-deep waters of up to 3,000 metres.”

Jan De Nul previously invested in the jack-up installation vessel Voltaire and crane vessel Les Alizés to install the latest generation of wind turbines and their foundations. The company’s offshore installation fleet will thus comprise five CLVs, two offshore jack-up installation vessels, three floating crane installation vessels, five rock installation vessels and two multi-purpose vessels.