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

September 30, 2025, by Nadja Skopljak

Jan De Nul has ordered a new subsea rock installation vessel (SRIV) in response to the growing global demand for the protection of underwater infrastructure.

The vessel 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. It will be able to install extra-large rocks to water depths of up to 400 meters thanks to a flexible vertical fall pipe and an inclined fall pipe system.

The George W. Goethals vessel is named after George Washington Goethals (1858–1921), the son of Belgian immigrants, who was an American military officer and civil engineer best known for overseeing the construction and opening of the Panama Canal, for which Jan De Nul took part in the construction of the third set of lock complexes from 2009 to 2016.

According to the company, the ultra-low emission vessel (ULEv) will be able to run on biofuel and green methanol. The hybrid power plant on board also contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions and optimal fuel usage as it combines the generators with a battery and drive technology, designed for peak shaving, load smoothening, spinning reserve and optimized engine loading.

It will also be equipped with four electric excavators, which will, among other applications, be used for loading large rocks, without the need for a dedicated conveyor belt or crane on shore.

Designed entirely in-house, George W. Goethals will become the third rock installation vessel above 30,000 tons in the Jan De Nul fleet.

“Decades of hands-on experience have given us deep expertise in subsea rock installation. We have applied this knowledge throughout the vessel’s design. The collective capacity of our subsea rock installation fleet now surges beyond 100,000 tonnes. This investment will strengthen our leading position in the industry,” said Philippe Hutse, Director of Offshore Energy at Jan De Nul.

“A cutting-edge vessel like this represents a major investment and a carefully considered decision. As World Builders, we are fully committed to create a reliable energy system worldwide. Protecting the infrastructure that supports offshore energy production and transmission is essential to achieve this goal. With this new vessel, we are shifting into a higher gear to meet that challenge head-on.”

Jan De Nul is also building two extra-large cable-laying vessels (CLVs), Fleeming Jenkin and William Thomson, which will each have a cable-carrying capacity of 28,000 tons.