Jan De Nul's 28,000-tonne cable-laying vessel begins sea trials, sister ship to follow

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Jan De Nul's ultra-large cable-laying vessel "Fleeming Jenkin" has commenced sea trials, with its sister ship "William Thomson" expected to follow shortly.

Jan De Nul ordered the "Fleeming Jenkin" in October 2023 at China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) Haimen Shipyard, followed by the "William Thomson" in May 2024. The two vessels share an identical design, with a cargo capacity of 28,000 tonnes and a length of 215 metres, making them the largest of their kind.

The "Fleeming Jenkin" has set out to sea for the first time to undergo extensive testing. The "William Thomson" is progressing as planned and is expected to enter testing shortly thereafter.

Once in service, the "Fleeming Jenkin" will undertake its first mission for TenneT: installing export cables for four 2-gigawatt grid connection projects, bundling and laying four cables together. This scope of work equates to installing over 2,800 kilometres of cable across a transmission distance exceeding 700 kilometres.

In 2028, Jan De Nul will also deploy one of these vessels to install three 220 kV direct current cables to connect the Princess Elisabeth energy island to the coast.

Pieterjan Storme, Senior Technical Director at Jan De Nul, noted that the actual construction of the vessel began in November 2024, when the shipyard site was largely empty, and the ship has since progressed from its initial structure to a seaworthy state. He stated that the sea trials represent a special moment for everyone who has dedicated efforts to this project over the past months and years, and are a culmination of all the hard work.

Both vessels can operate on biofuel and green methanol. The onboard hybrid power system combines generators with a 2.5 MWh battery and drive technology, helping to reduce CO2 emissions and optimise fuel usage.