Osbit Wins Jan De Nul Contract to Build Next-Generation Shallow Water Trencher

14 September 2026
Edited By: Haley McQueen

Offshore engineering specialist Osbit, part of Venterra Group, has been awarded a novel contract by Jan De Nul Group to design and build a next-generation shallow water trencher.

(Credit: Osbit)

The award builds on a successful long-term partnership between the two companies, following the deployment of the previous Osbit-delivered trencher “Swordfish,” which has been operating successfully in the field since 2022.

Designed for operations on land and subsea, the new lightweight trencher will support shallow water cable burial campaigns. The machine has been engineered to deliver deep burial capability while maintaining a compact, highly transportable footprint.

The trencher features a surface-fed water system, helping minimize overall system weight while retaining flexibility for future upgrades and deeper water campaigns. Its modular construction allows the trencher to be dismantled into containerized sections for rapid transportation and mobilization between sites.

A key differentiator of the trencher is its modular design, allowing operators to rapidly adapt the system for different projects and burial requirements. Interchangeable swords and depressor options enable variable burial depths and cable configurations for efficient cable installation across complex nearshore environments.

Key specifications include:

Surface-fed jetting trencher
Operable on land and subsea
Highly modular design for adaptability across multiple campaigns
Burial capability up to five meters below seabed
Lightweight, compact, and fully containerizable design
Full design and build program ahead of the agreed 96-week schedule

David Foster, Project Manager at Osbit, commented: “This project is the result of many months of close collaboration with Jan De Nul. Building on the success of the previous trencher project gave both teams a strong foundation and a clear understanding of the operational challenges the equipment needs to solve.

“We have focused on creating a highly adaptable and future-ready system that can support a wide range of offshore cable burial campaigns while remaining lightweight, modular, and easy to mobilize. Through close collaboration with the client and a deep understanding of the environments in which the equipment will operate, we have been able to develop a robust and highly versatile solution.”

The project is scheduled for delivery in late 2026, with commercial operations expected to commence in 2027.