Jan de Nul launches second “record-breaking” cable-layer
The William Thomson will be operational in the first half of 2027
(Source: Jan De Nul)
Belgium’s Jan De Nul has launched the cable-layer William Thomson at CMHI Haimen shipyard in China. The vessel is the second in a pair of cable-layers and follows launch of the Fleeming Jenkin last October. The two cable-layers are said to be the largest in the world.
Designed in-house by the marine and offshore engineering firm, the ships have a cargo capacity of 28,000 tonnes and a length of 215m. They will be capable of laying cables in ultra-deep waters down to 4,000m.
Their high loading capacities enable the ships to take longer cables on board in single pieces, saving laying time with fewer subsea connections as well as return voyages to port for more cables.
The Fleeming Jenkin is due for delivery in the last quarter of this year; the William Thomson will follow in the first half of 2027. Their first project will be the 2-GW programme by TenneT, the grid operator for the Netherlands and large parts of Germany.
These new grid connections will more than double the capacity of those in place today which typically range from 700 to 900 MW. They will therefore exceed the power generated by an average nuclear power station which typically generates 1 to 1.6 GW.
