General – Newbuilding
Belgian marine contractor Jan de Nul has ordered a rock installation vessel, specifically built to strengthen the protection of offshore energy and subsea data infrastructure.
The vessel, named George W. Goethals, will be the company’s largest rock installation ship to date, with a carrying capacity of 37,000 tonnes. Designed fully in-house, the vessel will be equipped with ultra-low emission technology and engines capable of running on biofuel and green methanol.
According to Jan de Nul, using its flexible vertical fall pipe and an inclined fall pipe system, the vessel will be able to install extra-large rocks to water depths of up to 400 meters.
With numerous energy projects under development in the North Sea and Southeast Asia, these regions will form the core of George W. Goethals operational activity.
The vessel will join Jan de Nul’s existing fleet of two other rock installation vessels above 30,000 tonnes and is being built alongside two extra-large cable-laying ships, Fleeming Jenkin and William Thomson, designed for interconnector projects linking energy grids across the globe.
Jan de Nul said the George W. Goethals will also be fitted with a hybrid power plant, advanced emission control systems, and four electric excavators to enable efficient rock loading operations.
