Scheldepoort Repair & Conversion Yard has been awarded a Royal Netherlands Navy contract to modernise and upgrade the propeller shaft lines and generator sets of four Air Defence and Command Frigates.
Part of the Damen Shipyards Group, Scheldepoort is based in Vlissingen in the south of the Netherlands, and specialises in maintenance, modifications, repairs and refits.
Behind on Technology
Technology has moved on considerably since the vessels were built, some twelve years ago, by our sister company Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS). Peter Sterkenburg, Sales Manager at Scheldepoort, comments: 'Modifying the Controllable Pitch Propeller system will make the vessels much more fuel efficient, quieter and more environmentally friendly – crucial in today’s environment. At the same time the frigates will be more powerful and the systems smaller and lighter.'
Partners
The new engines of the generator sets – four on each vessel – will be delivered, engineered and modified by Wärtsilä. The generator sets will be replaced in cooperation with Scheldepoort. Scheldepoort has partnered Imtech Marine for the electrical and automation work on the generator sets.
Seventy to Eighty Days Work for Each Ship
The first of the vessels, the HR. MS. De Zeven Provinciën, is expected to arrive at the yard on August 13 and the second in early 2013, with the last two arriving in 2014. Each vessel is expected to take seventy to eighty days to complete and Scheldepoort has a dedicated team working on the naval contract. In the past Scheldepoort has also carried out maintenance work for the Royal Netherlands Navy’s Rotterdam-class Landing Platform Docks. Picture: The Hr. Ms. De Zeven Provinciën (by https://www.defensie.nl/marine/operationeel/schepen/hr_ms_de_zeven_provincien[the Dutch Royal Navy])
