Damen Shipyards Den Helder (DSDH) and the Netherlands’ Defense Material Organization (DMO) procurement agency have signed a contract for the design, build and delivery of a prototype Expeditionary Survey Boat (ESB), the company said in its release.
The craft will be optimised for rapid environmental assessments and hydrographic surveys in harbours, river mouths, shallow waters, coastal areas and shipping channels. The craft will be manned by four persons; two to crew the boat and two technicians to operate the hydrographic equipment, and will be able to spend up over 60 hours continuously at sea at her survey speed of 5 knots. DSDH is responsible for the design and engineering as well as the build, and the design will bring challenges.
The contract requires that the ESB be capable of being transported in davits on board large logistics support vessels such as the JSS Karel Doorman and the LPD Johan de Witt, as well as other suitable vessels of the Royal Dutch Navy, to worldwide destinations so as to carry out its operational tasks over a number of days. The result is that the boat must be limited in size, profile and weight to 15.7 meters in length, 4.18 meters in height and 24 tonnes overall. However, within those parameters she will need to carry a full suite of hydrographic equipment and incorporate both hardened weapons positions and ballistic protection around the wheelhouse, engine room and the gun positions.
The ESB will replace smaller vessels of approximately 10 meters that are currently used for hydrographic surveys but which are not specifically designed for survey work.
Damen Shipyards Group operates 36 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 12,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,500 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers around 175 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, winches, 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, including the longest, 420 x 80 metres, and the widest, 405 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.