Jan De Nul Group has signed an agreement with Osbit (UK) for the design and construction of a new subsea trenching vehicle, named Swordfish. Delivery is scheduled for the first quarter of 2022.The Swordfish will be a subsea trenching vehicle that can be fitted with either a jetting installation, a mechanical chain cutter or a combination of both to tackle a wide variety of soil conditions and bury cables up to 3 or even 3.5 metres deep. The Swordfish will be powered by 2 x 300 kW hydraulic power units and 2 x 300 kW electric HP jet pumps. In jetting configuration, it will be capable of tackling soil strengths up to 125 kPa, thanks to its 1,120 kW of pump power. In mechanical or hybrid mode, it will be able to cope with soil strengths up to 400 kPa, using its 400 kW chain cutter tool and 420 kW additional jetting power. The main jetting tool is combined with front cutting nozzles and additional rear backwash swords. The trenching vehicle will be launched with a dedicated A-frame and hoisting winch from one of Jan De Nul’s offshore vessels.
