Damen Maaskant secures second twin-rigger contract

Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam has secured another contract to build a twin-rig fly shooting fishing trawler; this time for brothers Rense and Johannes de Boer. This is DAMEN Maaskant’s second fishing trawler contract in as many months, following close behind the contract to build the 32-metre long Spes Nova that was signed in November, the company said in its press release.

Although the new vessel, to be named Meindert Senior, will have the same Vripack naval architects design as the Spes Nova, it displays some major differences. At 31 metres long with a beam of 9 metres, the Meindert Senior will be able to operate with a gross tonnage of less than 400 tonnes. Furthermore, the new vessel will have a conventional diesel propulsion configuration.

This will not be the first Damen-built vessel in Rense and Johannes de Boer’s fleet, as Eric Moerkerk, Deputy Director at DAMEN Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam, explains: “The De Boer brothers already have two vessels from us: the LT60 and the UK195.”

“In fact, our relationship with their family goes back even further as their father built a cutter here 25 years ago. So we are extremely pleased to be working with them again with this new trawler.”

The relationship with designer and naval architect Vripack has been taken to the next level as they were the creatives behind the bigger sister vessel as well. “By rearranging the traditional lay-out we ensured that the ship trims as naturally as possible. Fishing vessels traditionally trim aft a bit, especially with a full hold. This adversely affects the ideal streamline of the vessel, resulting in less comfort at sea and higher fuel consumption. The weight components are more evenly distributed under varying conditions when placing the wheelhouse and the fish hold a bit forward,” explains Ierring Faber, Naval Architect at Vripack.

Construction of Meindert Senior’s hull will take place in Poland, followed by outfitting at DAMEN Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam. Delivery is scheduled for Q2 2019.




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.

Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of sixteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 floating and (covered) drydocks, the largest of which is 420 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,350 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyage.