Damen’s UK Sales Manager receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Casper Vermeulen, who is retiring as UK Sales Manager for the DAMEN Shipyards Group, was last week presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2017 Seawork International commercial marine and workboat exhibition held in Southampton, UK. The presentation was made by Andrew Webster, Managing Director of Mercator Media, the company organising the event.

During Seawork Casper received many cards and gifts from members of the UK and Irish maritime industries with whom he has worked with over the years, as well as from many colleagues at Damen. These included the framed text of a speech he delivered some years ago on the delivery of the 80 metre semi-submersible, heavy lift barge Terra Marique to Robert Wynn and Sons, presented to him by Peter Wynn. The organisers of Seawork also gave him a large jug of Pimm’s No.1, a typically British way to celebrate such an occasion!

The Lifetime Achievement Award was a fitting conclusion to a long and productive career that has seen Casper sell DAMEN vessels to operators right around the coasts of the British Isles. “Given my many visits to Seawork over the years, this was a fitting way to celebrate the end of my time at Damen, in the lovely British Sunshine, enjoying a drink or two surrounded by friends and colleagues,” concluded Casper.  

Damen’s sales operations in the UK and Ireland will continue, undertaken by Arjen van Elk, already in position for a number of years, and Frederik van der Linde, who has worked closely with Casper these past few months.

Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 33 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 9,000 people worldwide. DAMEN has delivered more than 6,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 180 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept DAMEN is able to guarantee consistent quality.

Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, DAMEN vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.

Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.

For nearly all vessel types DAMEN offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. DAMEN also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.

In addition to ship design and shipbuilding, DAMEN Shiprepair & Conversion has a worldwide network of 17 repair and conversion yards with dry docks ranging up to 420 x 80 metres. Conversion projects range from adapting vessels to today’s requirements and regulations to the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,350 repair and maintenance jobs annually.