Peter Bunschoten News

The Damen Shipyards Group recently unveiled a series of new vessel designs based on its popular 16 metre long, 5 metre wide, semi Axe Bow design. The first of the vessels is owned and operated by Van Oord for crew transfer in the Caspian Sea. The concept originated when Damen Marine Services commissioned the construction of a Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 1605 in fibre reinforced epoxy. The idea was to demonstrate the efficiency of the vessel design in composite form. This, Mr Gelling states, makes the composite version of the 1605 hull well suited to a wide range of vessel types. To that end, Damen is building in series 1605 hulls, at the same time constructing compatible superstructures for Stan Pilot, Stan Patrol and Fast Crew Supplier versions of the composite vessel.

Damen has signed a contract with leading dredging and marine contractor Van Oord for the supply of a CSD 650 custom suction dredger together with an FCS 1605 Fast Crew Supplier, initially for operations in the Caspian Sea. Designed and delivered by Damen Dredging Equipment in Nijkerk, the Netherlands, the vessel will leave the yard at the end of January and travel overland to the Caspian Sea, from where it will begin operations in April. “Van Oord requires a cutter suction dredger at short notice because of the large number of going dredging projects. Damen’s expertise combined with Van Oord standards will result in a fit-for-purpose addition to our dredging projects in the Caspian Sea”…

It is a first in the German shipbuilding industry; the Aeolus, the first jack-up vessel for offshore wind farms designed and built in Germany, which was constructed at Sietas Shipyard for the prestigious Dutch marine engineering company Van Oord, has left the shipyard. Having passed through the Este barrage of Hamburg port, the jack-up vessel now travels along the river Elbe to Bremerhaven. Berthold Brinkmann, administrator at Sietas Shipyard said, "I am proud of what the employees at Sietas shipyard have accomplished with this ship.