Jan De Nul has launched its new cable-laying vessel, Fleeming Jenkin, which will be used to install subsea cables for the transmission of renewable energy. The vessel measures 215 metres in length and has a loading capacity of 28,000 tonnes. Delivery is scheduled for the second half of 2026.
The launch took place at the CMHI Haimen shipyard in China by flooding the dry dock. The vessel will now enter its final construction phase, which includes outfitting and sea trials. Fleeming Jenkin has been designed to install longer and heavier cables in deep waters of up to 3,000 metres. Once operational, it will begin work on TenneT’s 2GW programme, which connects offshore wind farms to the grid in the Netherlands and Germany. The vessel will install export cables on four of these connections, laying four bundled cables over a total of more than 2,800 kilometres and across a distance exceeding 700 kilometres.
