(With video) The Royal Navy of Oman has formally accepted ownership of its new sail training vessel, the RNOV Shabab Oman II.
The ceremony took place at Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding in Vlissingen, the Netherlands.
Shabab Oman II
The three-masted steel clipper, named RNOV Shabab Oman II, will be an ambassador for Oman, demonstrating the country’s centuries-old maritime tradition. The 87-metre vessel is Damen's third such clipper, proving the value of Damen’s reliable craftsmanship and engineering.
Sea Trials
The acceptance ceremony follows the successful completion of sea trials testing the vessel’s 2700 m2 sail area divided over 28 sails in late July. The trials took place in North Sea coastal waters around Vlissingen. Due to design improvements from Dykstra Naval Architects, the ship can sail closer to the wind than previous Damen clippers.
Damen brought in eight of its own technical personnel and a number of systems subcontractors for the sea trials. However, sailing such a special vessel requires specialised expertise. Therefore, an experienced clipper captain and some of the officers and crew of another Damen clipper, the Stad Amsterdam, were hired for the trials.
Three Yards Involved
Three different Damen yards have coordinated their construction, engineering and naval architectural expertise to produce this high performance sailing vessel: Damen Shipyards Gorinchem handled overall project management and procurement while Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania performed the major construction works, launching the clipper in December last year.
Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding in Vlissingen then took over with its own personnel and subcontractors carrying out final outfitting works such as installation of the three 50-metre steel/aluminum masts, rigging and spars as well as modern technical systems.
Below a video of the Shabab Oman II.
