Training simulator in the making for Jan De Nul’s Fleeming Jenkin

March 18th, 2026

Jan De Nul has appointed the Dutch company Tree C Technology to develop a training simulator for its XL cable-laying vessel (CLV) Fleeming Jenkin.

Fleeming Jenkin. Source: Jan De Nul

Jan De Nul placed an order for Fleeming Jenkin at China’s CMHI Haimen shipyard in October 2023, followed by an order for another identical vessel, named William Thomson, in May the following year, deemed the largest CLVs in the world.

Fleeming Jenkin was launched in October 2025 by flooding the dry dock at the shipyard, marking the start of the final construction phase, to be followed by sea trials.

Tree C has been appointed to develop a training simulator for the 215-meter-long vessel which will allow inexperienced crew members to get to know its equipment, practice procedures, and actual control systems before going offshore.

“Building on the success of our fall pipe vessel simulator, this time we are collaborating on an even bigger scale. An integrated control system that mimics the onboard experience, combined with full physics-based simulation, will provide operators with a highly realistic training environment,” Tree C said.

According to the Dutch firm, Jan De Nul also has plans to expand its simulator with additional vessels in the future.

Once operational in the second half of 2026, Fleeming Jenkin will immediately start its first assignment for TenneT, where it will install export cables on four 2 GW grid connections, bundling and laying four cables together. This represents over 2,800 kilometers of cable being installed over a distance of more than 700 kilometers.

The CLV will be equipped with three cable carousels and a large hold for fiber optic cables, capable of laying up to four cables simultaneously. Two carousels are mounted on deck, with a third below deck. The combined cable-carrying capacity amounts to 28,000 tons, double the capacity of any other CLV currently on the market.

It is an ultra-low emission vessel (ULEv) and 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 by combining the generators with a 2.5 MWh battery and drive technology.