The brand new supply ship Den Helder sailed into its eponymous home port on 24 March. There, Damen Naval handed over the vessel to the Command Materiel and IT organisation (COMMIT) of the Dutch Ministry of Defence. Incidentally, this does not mean that the so-called Combat Support Ship (CSS) is already deployable.
CSS Den Helder was built at the Damen Naval yard in Galați, Romania, and departed from there in November 2024 for its first sea trial and the voyage to the Netherlands. The ship arrived on 13 December 2024 in Vlissingen-Oost, where Damen Naval carried out further work. On 22 February this year, the vessel was christened by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Orange Amalia.
On Friday 14 March, the CSS departed the Vlissingen yard to continue the sea trials. Various Sea Acceptance Tests (SATs) were conducted, including a replenishment at sea (RAS) with HNLMS Johan de Witt. Now that the ship has been handed over to COMMIT, work will continue under the responsibility of the Directorate of Materiel Sustainment (DMI) and the Joint IV Command (JIVC). They will begin commissioning the Sensor, Weapon, and Command System, and will manage the hardware-software integration within the Combat Management System.
Damen Naval Project Director Arjan Risseeuw: ‘After an intensive outfitting period in Vlissingen, we carried out a number of final tests during the transit of the ship to Den Helder. We have now largely addressed the points for attention from the earlier sea trials. Following the handover, we will assist with the integration of the weapon systems with the platform systems and finalise the remaining outstanding tasks.’
The Royal Netherlands Navy will commission the Den Helder on 1 October. It will then also receive the designation “His Netherlands Majesty’s Ship” (HNLMS). This will be followed by an intensive training programme. By mid-2026, the supply ship will be ready for operations worldwide.
Also read: Princess Amalia christens Combat Support Ship Den Helder
Floating hospital
The Combat Support Ship is of vital importance to the Royal Netherlands Navy’s permanent support and supply capacity. This innovative vessel is deployable worldwide and can provide ships at sea with fuel, food, water, ammunition, spare parts and other goods.
The platform also serves as a floating hospital. This makes the Den Helder essential for the long-term deployment of naval vessels. Within NATO, demand for this type of supply vessel is high.
First stage of fleet replacement
The new CSS heralds the replacement of almost the entire Dutch naval fleet.
Damen Naval’s Managing Director Roland Briene: ‘It is a special moment to hand over this complex and robust ship to COMMIT. From Vlissingen, the Den Helder has now arrived in its home port of Den Helder. The CSS is the first in a series of ships that will strengthen and modernise our fleet. With this, the Netherlands once again plays an important role in European naval shipbuilding. Cooperation in the production of defence materiel is becoming increasingly important, and Zeeland demonstrates it is playing at the highest level.”
Picture (top): CSS Den Helder in Den Helder (photo by Dutch Ministry of Defence).
Also read: VIDEO: Combat Support Ship in Den Helder for first time
