Jan De Nul orders another newbuild trenching support vessel

September 21, 2026, by Nadja Skopljak

Jan De Nul is further expanding its fleet with the order of a new trenching support vessel, which will be an exact copy of its Isambard Kingdom Brunel, announced in March.

With this latest order, Jan De Nul has five vessels under construction for subsea cable installation and protection, including two XL cable-laying vessels (CLVs), an XL rock installation vessel to protect the cables, and now two vessels for the burial of cables.

Isambard K. Brunel, announced in March, is of an Ulstein design and will be built at the China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) shipyard. Both vessels will be capable of burying cables in the seabed up to five meters deep, will be equipped with ultra-low emission (ULEv) technology and will be able to run on biofuel, besides being prepared for future operation on methanol.

“Our two new cable-laying vessels will soon enter the market. The Fleeming Jenkin has completed her first sea trials and is now in the final construction phase. The William Thomson will follow shortly,” said Wouter Vermeersch, Director Subsea Cables Offshore Energy at Jan De Nul.

Jan De Nul’s first XL cable layer on sea trials, second to follow

Vessels

“The investments in vessels that can protect these cables at the same pace are a logical next step. Last year, we already announced the order of the rock installation vessel George W. Goethals, which protects cables and other energy infrastructure with a layer of rock. With the Isambard K. Brunel and this new sister vessel, we are also adding two vessels for burying cables in the seabed. This will bring our fleet to a total of fourteen vessels for the installation and protection of subsea cables,” Vermeersch noted.

Jan De Nul is also working on the conversion of an existing vessel, Henry Darcy, from a water injection dredger into a trenching support vessel. It will carry the Crayfish subsea robot, specialized in burying cables in shallow water.