The Belgian shipping company Jan De Nul has placed an order for a new XL cable-laying vessel. The demand for submarine cables to support the global offshore energy transition is high, according to the company.
The cable laying vessel “Fleeming Jenkin”, which is still under construction and scheduled for delivery in 2026, has already been booked for the first projects. “The order for a new XL cable-laying vessel underlines our belief in renewable energies and expands our cable-laying fleet to five powerful and versatile cable-laying vessels,” explains Jan De Nul.
Like the “Fleeming Jenkin”, the ship will be 215 m long and can transport 28,000 tons of cable. This will make them the largest cable-laying vessels in the world. Thanks to the state-of-the-art technology of both vessels, developed by the specialists of the Jan De Nul Group, they can lay cables in both shallow and very deep waters up to 3,000 meters. The vessels can handle cable tensions of up to 150 tons.
Both vessels are equipped with Ultra-Low Emission Vessel (ULEv) technology, an advanced dual exhaust filtration system. This system removes up to 99% of nanoparticles from emissions using a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to remove NOx. The ULEv system also significantly reduces exhaust pollutants. Thanks to the ULEv system, the ships meet the strict European Stage V emission standards for inland waterway vessels. In addition, according to Jan De Nul, NOx emissions are reduced to such an extent that these ships meet the even stricter EURO VI emission limits.
The hybrid power plant on board also contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions and optimal fuel utilisation. It combines the generators with a 2.5 MWh battery and drive technology designed for peak load shutdown, load smoothing, spinning reserve and optimised engine utilisation. The vessels can run on biofuel and green methanol, which significantly reduces CO2 emissions.
Jan de Nul expands fleet to five
The Jan De Nul Group is thus making another major investment in the transition to renewable energy. The new XL vessel will be the fifth vessel in the cable-laying fleet. Over the past ten years, this fleet has laid 2,500 km of submarine cable in 25 countries. For example, Crete was connected to the Greek mainland. Another important project is the laying of 1,000 km of cable to connect two islands off the coast of Abu Dhabi with the mainland. The Group is also currently working on the Greenlink interconnector linking the electricity grids of Ireland and Wales. And a further 2,500 km of cable routes are in the order book for the next few years. “This immediately explains why the Jan De Nul Group has decided to order a new XL cable-laying vessel,” says the Group.
Jan Van de Velde, Director New Construction, Jan De Nul Group: “We are and remain a great supporter of the transition to renewable energy. With this second XL cable-laying vessel, we are underpinning our pioneering role. Both vessels combine all the cable-laying expertise we have acquired over the past ten years. The result is ships that work very efficiently and have a significantly lower carbon footprint.”
