New Jan De Nul subsea rock installation vessel to sport Seatools’ fall pipe ROV

October 14, 2025, by Nadja Skopljak

The Netherlands-headquartered subsea technology company Seatools has secured a contract with Jan De Nul for the design and delivery of a fall pipe ROV for the recently ordered subsea rock installation vessel (SRIV) George W. Goethals.

The fall pipe ROV, to be installed at the lower end of the vessel’s vertical fall pipe, is responsible for the accurate horizontal positioning of the pipe’s outlet and will be used to perform detailed pre-, intermediate-, and post-lay surveys.

The system will feature Seatools’ ROV dynamic positioning (DP) system, which integrates advanced functions such as Auto-Track, allowing both the ROV and the vessel to automatically follow a predefined track during rock installation.

Delivery is scheduled for 2027.

“We are proud to support Jan De Nul with this Fall Pipe ROV, which represents another step in our longstanding contribution to subsea rock installation technologies,” said Jan Frumau, Managing Director of Seatools. “The system’s advanced automation features will help ensure efficient, predictable, and precise operations. We greatly value the collaboration with Jan De Nul and look forward to a successful delivery.”

Jan De Nul orders rock installation vessel for protection of subsea infrastructure

Vessels

George W. Goethals will be an ultra-low emission vessel (ULEv) that will be able to run on biofuel and green methanol. It will primarily focus on projects in the energy sector, with the North Sea and Southeast Asia regions being the core of its operational activity.

With a capacity of up to 37,000 tons, the SRIV will become the third rock installation vessel above 30,000 tons in the Jan De Nul fleet.

Remazel Engineering, a company of the Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri, will deliver a high-capacity rock placement system for the vessel.