Van Oord Expands its Trencher Fleet

Jet-It trencher (Credit: Van Oord)

Dutch offshore installation firm Van Oord has introduced Jet-It as the latest unit to join its trencher fleet, following the completion of a test campaign in the North Sea.

Building on the expertise gained from its previous trenchers, Dig-It and Deep Dig-It, Van Oord has developed another trencher dubbed Jet-It.

With the addition of the latest unit, Van Oord now operates three trenchers, all designed for the purpose of cable burial.

While Dig-It and Deep Dig-It feature mechanical cutting and jetting technology, the Jet-It is equipped with jetting technology only.

According to Van Oord, it boasts an efficiently designed system which uses high-pressure water to fluidize the substrate and create a trench.

“Each trencher in our fleet has its own strengths, allowing us to tailor our approach to soil conditions, trench depth, and project requirements. With the arrival of Jet-It, we can offer even greater efficiency in subsea cable installation,” Vann Oord said on social media.

It is said to be ideally suited for the burial of inter-array and export cables in sandy and light clay soils.

With two high-pressure, frequency-driven water pumps, it is capable of trenching to depths of up to 3 meters. Multiple integrated sensors enable the trencher to operate at high speed with great precision.

Designed for fast mobilization, the Jet-It can be deployed on any vessel in a single lift, Van Oord said.