Advance In Cable-Layer Capabilities

The contract award to China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) Haimen shipyard calls for a vessel of 215m length overall, incorporating a hybrid power plant with a 2.5MWh battery system and ultra-low emission technology, and equipped to DP2 dynamic positioning standard.

To be named Fleeming Jenkin, the cableship is expected to be delivered in 2026 from the yard at Nantong, which built the 237m monohull offshore construction vessel Les Alizes for Jan De Nul last year.

Fleeming Jenkin will be laid out with bridge and accommodation forward, and the extensive operational equipment outfit will feature three cable carousels and a hold for fibre optic cable, complemented by three 50t tensioners and cable laying wheel integrated in the stern chute, plus 100t and 30t offshore cranes.

Two of the carousels, at 11,000t holding capacity apiece, will be arranged on deck, while the third carousel sized for 7,500t will be placed in the midships hold. Fibre optic telecoms cable will be held in two 600t-capacity, dedicated tanks underdeck. The vessel will have the means to lay up to five cables simultaneously, deploying heavier and longer cables in depths down to 3,000m. The aft deck chute is to facilitate cable laying in shallow waters, while the wheel will make for efficient working at greater depths.

Main propulsion is to be by way of four 2,600kW azimuth thrusters, with a triple set of 2,100kW bow tunnel thrusters and two 2,600kW retractable thrusters in the foreship realising the requisite manoeuvring and dynamic positioning performance. The vessel will have total installed power of 30,600kW and a maximum transit speed of 13.5 knots.

The primary power plant will incorporate diesel particulate filter (DPF) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technologies, and the genset engines will allow operation on biofuel and ‘green’ methanol, confirmed by the methanol dual-fuel notation, to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions.

The hybrid outfit and control arrangements marry the generators with a 2.5MWh-rated battery system and drive technology, designed for peak shaving, load smoothing, spinning reserve and optimised engine loading.

Besides the construction ship Les Alizes, the Group’s fleet development in 2022 featured one of the world’s largest-ever self-elevating offshore installation vessels, the 169m x 60m Voltaire, built by COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry at Nantong.

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

The newbuild, accommodating a maximum complement of 150 in single cabins, will increase Jan De Nul’s cableship fleet to four, the previous addition having been the 138m laying/trenching vessel Isaac Newton, commissioned in 2015.

The company has already begun the recruitment process for the extra crew and staff members needed for operating the Fleeming Jenkin. Supported by an extensive in-house training programme, a multidisciplinary team will be put together composed of DP-certificated officers, engineering and offshore technicians, tensioner carousel operators, and cable-laying superintendents.