Jan de Nul has named its new XL cable laying vessel (CLV), an identical copy of the previously ordered Fleeming Jenkin, after an Irish scientist William Thomson.
The William Thomson will have three carousels and cable-carrying capacity of 28,000 tonnes.
The 215-meter-long sister vessels – Fleeming Jenkin and William Thomson - will be the largest cable-laying vessels in the world.
“The vessels will certainly be innovative for the offshore cable industry, as so was physicist William Thomson. His name could therefore not be more appropriate for our second XL cable-laying vessel, for several reasons,” Jan de Nul said.
Both vessels can lay cables in shallow and ultra-deep waters up to 3,000 metres. Due to their cable-carrying capacity, they can also lay cables over longer distances with fewer subsea connections. In turn, the three carousels allow HVDC cables to be installed bundled in one go.
“All this puts Feeming Jenkin and William Thomson in a perfect position to connect countries and continents with high energy production with those that have high energy needs. This will allow maximum exchange and thus utilization of green power, an important step in the global energy transition,” Jan de Nul added.
The Fleeming Jenkin is scheduled for delivery from China's CMHI Haimen shipyard in 2026. The vessel has already been booked for its first projects.