Damen Shiprepair Curaçao welcomes royal visit

His Royal Highness King Willem-Alexander and Her Royal Highness Queen Máxima have visited Damen Shiprepair Curaçao, the company said in its press release.

The Royal couple arrived by boat together with Damen Shiprepair & Conversion Managing Director Durk-Jan Nederlof. Before disembarking, they viewed the yard’s two new floating docks that will be operational from September. These two docks, measuring 230x45 metres and 108x 23 metres respectively, represent a significant investment into the yard’s infrastructure that is expected to have a positive knock-on effect on the local economy.

Lodewijk Franken, Managing Director of Damen Shiprepair Curaçao, then guided the Royal couple around the yard, speaking to numerous employees along the route. In discussing the development of the yard since Damen took over management last year, diverse subjects were covered.

“The main topics of conversation were training, education and investments to increase yard capacity – all illustrating the added value of the yard to the island of Curaçao,” says Mr Franken referring to the in-house training programme that has been implemented at the yard.

“We are proud that the Royal couple took the time and effort to visit us here – it gives us an even greater impulse to continue our commercial and operational development.”

Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 34 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 10,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 160 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 eighteen 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 1,300 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyage.