Royal Schelde News

The Council of the Confederation of European Maritime Technology Societies presented Damen CEO René Berkvens with the CEMT Award on Thursday, August 24, at Damen Shipyards Gorinchem. The Council bestows the award annually in recognition of the substantial contribution made to the success of the European maritime industry by an individual, company or organization. The contribution can be either technological, political or economic. Berkvens received the award in recognition of his leadership of Damen and the contribution this has made toward the successes of the European maritime sector.

The construction of the two Damen SWATH's 3717 for the Province of Zeeland at the Vlissingen yard Royal Schelde, a member of the Damen Shipyards Group, is progressing with completion in sight. Only two important tests remain to be completed: the embarkation and disembarkation trials with 181 passengers and the 10 hour endurance test. Both trials will be completed not later than the first week of February. After completion and approval, the SWATH will be delivered to the Province of Zeeland. The first SWATH Prinses Máxima as well as the second, SWATH Prins Willem Alexander will be named on March 13 by the Dutch Minister of Transport and Communications, K.M.H. Peijs. The first SWATH will be delivered upon its naming.

Middle East Navigation Aids Service (MENAS) introduced its new multipurpose light tender vessel Relume in a special naming ceremony at Damen Shipyards’ Royal Schelde facility in Vlissingen, The Netherlands. The vessel, the third MENAS ship to bear the name Relume, was christened by Mrs Chantal E Mitropoulos, wife of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos. vessels could perform. salvage capabilities. organization,” said John Gyles, Chairman of MENAS. its core activities using less ship¹s time than in the past. maritime safety and environmental protection in ways that extend beyond the organization¹s traditional role of maintaining aids to navigation. that has built more than 3,000 vessels over the past 30 years.

Nine companies expressed interest in the privatization of Hellenic Shipyards at Skaramanga, part of the country's privatization agenda for 2001, the development ministry reported. The government's advisers on the project will shortlist bidders in the next 15 days and then ask for binding bids for the shipyard, whose major shareholders are ETBA Bank and workers. The ministry expects the project to be concluded by June. The companies that expressed interest are: Constructions Mecaniques de Normandie; General Electric Company; Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft AG-Ferrostaal AG; Louis Cruise Lines Ltd ; Mentor Technologies; Elefsina Industrial Companies SA; Pacific & Atlantic Corporation; Royal Schelde BV-Damen Shipyards Group BV; and Vosper Thornycroft Ltd.

On 28th January 2005 the Dutch Chief of Staff, General Dick L. Berlijn, has officially opened the newly covered Dock 2 of Royal Schelde at the shipbuilding location in Vlissingen-East. The existing dock has been covered to facilitate building of large ships unhindered by weather. The first ship which will be completed in the new hall will be the second Landing Platform Dock (LPD), “Johan de Witt” for the Royal Netherlands Navy. The hall is 260 meter long, nearly 50 meter wide and 50 meter high, making it the largest covered dock in The Netherlands. The dock is 215 meter long, 13 meter deep and nearly 30 meter wide. The dock will not only accommodate newly built vessels, but also conversions of existing ones. The covering of the dock required an investment of close to 18 million euro.

Damen Shipyards Gorinchem recently completed the research vessel Celtic Explorer for the Irish Marine Institute of Dublin. This 65 m ship was constructed by Damen in partnership with the Vlissingen yard of Royal Schelde and follows two other important vessels previously delivered to Ireland, the research vessel “Celtic Voyager” and the buoy maintenance ship Granuaille. The work to be carried out by this new vessel will include a National Seabed Survey in Irish waters, perform a vital role in monitoring and recording fish stocks, oceanographic tasks, and wide range of other maritime duties. The new vessel is only the third of its kind in Europe and represents a significant milestone in Irish marine research. The vessel will be named on April 11, 2003 in Galway, Ireland.

Damen Shipyards Gorinchem has completed the research vessel Celtic Explorer for the Irish Marine Institute of Dublin. This outstanding 215-ft. (65-m) ship was constructed by Damen in partnership with the Vlissingen yard of Royal Schelde and follows two other important vessels previously delivered to Ireland, the research vessel "Celtic Voyager" and the buoy maintenance ship "Granuaille". The work to be carried out by this new vessel will include a National Seabed Survey in Irish waters, performing a vital role in monitoring and recording fish stocks, oceanographic tasks, and wide range of other maritime duties. The new vessel, which will be named on April 11, 2003 in Galway, Ireland, is only the third of its kind in Europe and represents a significant milestone in Irish marine research.