Tag Archives: HNLMS Den Helder (A834)

Navy

Combat Support Ship

On the 2nd of June Damen Shipyards Galati has performed the keel-laying ceremony on the Combat Support Ship (CSS) HNLMS Den Helder (A834). This marks an important milestone in the construction of this new supply ship for the Royal Netherlands Navy. The keel laying ceremony was performed by the Director Defence Material Organisation (DMO), vice admiral Arie Jan de Waard and vice admiral Rob Kramer, Commander Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN).

HNLMS Den Helder (A834)
Keel-laying ceremony of the Combat Support Ship HNLMS Den Helder (A834)

The yard carried out the steel cutting for this new vessel in December last year. Following the keel-laying, all the building blocks for the actual construction of the ship in Romania are now ready. The engineering of the CSS has been largely carried out in the Netherlands. Damen Naval division director Hein van Ameijden emphasizes that it is mainly the cooperation with companies from the existing naval construction chain that makes the innovative construction of Dutch naval ships possible: «More than a year after signing the contract for this ship, Damen Naval has concluded 116 purchase contracts, of which 82 are with Dutch suppliers. These are with companies coming mostly from the Rijnmond and Zeeland areas. It is this entire chain of companies that contributes to the construction of this new ship for the RNLN».

Besides emphasizing the close cooperation between all parties involved, the keel laying also has a traditional value. In the past, a coin was placed under the wooden mast for prosperity. Nowadays, with the ships made of steel, the coin is placed under the keel block. Both admirals performed this operation for the CSS, placing a coin from 1822 for the occasion. This was an important year for the RNLN, in which, after various plans and initiatives for fort building in the Napoleonic era, the marine establishment with drydock in Den Helder was transferred to their ownership.

The next important ceremonial milestone is the naming of the vessel, but not before the building of the ship is completed in 2023. After commissioning, testing and shipyard trials the ship will sail to Den Helder, where the accessories and the combat management system will be installed before the ship is transferred to the navy in 2025.

The ship was designed in close collaboration with the DMO and the RNLN. It is based on the Joint Support Ship HNLMS Karel Doorman (A833), previously built by Damen. The nearly 180-metre-long ship will have a 75-person standard crew and can take an additional 85 people on board. In addition to space for fuel and munition to supply other ships, there is room for several helicopters and twenty containers.

Navy

Combat Support Ship

With the contract signing for construction for the new supply ship HNLMS Den Helder (A834), more than a hundred, mainly Dutch companies receive work. The contract was signed today in Den Helder by the Director of Defence Material Organization (DMO), Vice Admiral Arie Jan de Waard and Arnout Damen, the new CEO of the family business Damen Shipyards Group.

Main contractor Damen and more than a hundred companies contribute to Combat Support Ship

Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) will supervise the project, together with DMO, as the main contractor. Damen will not do this alone; more than a hundred companies from the Dutch naval construction sector are involved in this ship. This means that a large part of the sector will be deployed to participate in this innovative new ship.

With HNLMS Den Helder (A834), the maritime supply capacity of the Royal Netherlands Navy will be restored. The ship will operate alongside the Joint Support Ship HNLMS Karel Doorman (A833). This vessel also forms the basis for the design of this Combat Support Ship. The new ship can be used worldwide and can operate under high threat, protected by frigates. In addition, she can be used in the fight against drug trafficking, controlling refugee flows and providing emergency aid.

The supply ship, which is almost 200 metres/656 feet long, will receive a 75-person crew and can also take 75 extra people on board. There is room for several helicopters and around 20 containers. The design explicitly looked at fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. The combination of diesel engines, hull shape and propeller design reduce fuel consumption by around 6% compared to HNLMS Karel Doorman (A833).

The building contract is not contracted out elsewhere in Europe. DMO wishes to keep the knowledge and skills of designing and building naval ships in the Netherlands. The armed forces thus invoked Article 346 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It states that Member States may protect essential security interests. This also relates to the production of defence equipment.

Completion is scheduled for the second quarter of 2024. A year later, in the second quarter of 2025, the Combat Support Ship must be operable. The size of the total project budget is 375 million euros.