Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania laid the keel for the future HNLMS Den Helder, a new combat support ship slated for the Royal Netherlands Navy, on Wednesday, June 2.
The nearly 180-metre-long ship will have a 75-person standard crew and can take an additional 85 people on board. In addition to space for fuel and munitions to supply other ships, there will be room for several helicopters and twenty containers.
Damen expects construction of the future Den Helder to be completed by 2023. It will be transferred to the navy in 2025 following a period of testing, shipyard trials, and fitting out.
