Posted on September 17, 2026
By David Foxwell
The contract for the trencher builds on a long-term partnership between the two companies, following the deployment of the Osbit-delivered trencher Swordfish, which has been operating successfully in the field since 2022.
Due to be delivered to the company by the end of 2026, and enter operation in 2027, the Crayfish trencher will join a growing fleet of trenchers the offshore company owns. The new unit will be able to bury cables up to 5 m deep and is designed primarily for work close to shore, although it is also capable of working in deep water. Once delivered, Crayfish will be operated from the vessel Henry Darcy, which is currently being converted into a trenching support vessel.
“Capable of burying cables in water depths of up to 200 m, the trencher can be deployed flexibly, both offshore and onshore,” said the company. “Thanks to its lightweight design and modular build, Crayfish has a limited impact on its surroundings. Its modular design also makes it easy to transport and mobilise from one project to another.”
Henry Darcy, a shallow draft vessel, is being converted into a trenching support vessel from a water injection dredger. In its former life, it used high-pressure water to loosen the seabed and move sediment.
Some of this equipment is now being given a new purpose and the water pumps previously used for dredging will supply high-pressure water to Crayfish. The jet water will be fed from the vessel to the trencher through a hose, allowing Crayfish to loosen the seabed and bury the cable. This will make the Crayfish particularly well suited to shallow waters.
On most trenchers, the jet pumps are located on the machine itself, but they cannot operate in very shallow water. On Crayfish, the pumps are located on Henry Darcy, allowing the trencher to work much closer to shore.
The new trencher’s modular construction allows it to be dismantled into containerised sections for rapid transportation and mobilisation between sites. Osbit describes this modular design as ‘a key differentiator,’ allowing it to be rapidly adapted 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.
The trencher will enter service burying cables in shallow water for transmission system operator TenneT’s ‘2 GW’ programme, which Jan De Nul is executing on behalf of the grid operator.
“The arrival of Crayfish is part of our recent investments in the expansion of our subsea cable fleet. It will strengthen our capacity to install and protect subsea cables and further contribute to the development of infrastructure for renewable energy at sea,” said Jan De Nul.
