The Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) has leased a new drone-equipped marine security and surveillance vessel from Damen Shipyards, crewed mainly by Fugro, to enhance its maritime security capabilities.
The RNLN acquired DSS Galatea last week in Den Helder; as per a press statement, the new vessel will immediately be put into action as part of the security operation for the forthcoming NATO Summit being held at the World Forum in The Hague on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
The Dutch Ministry of Defence is leasing the Galatea on a two-year deal ahead of the anticipated delivery of two Multifunctional Support Vessels, scheduled to be supplied by Damen in 2027.
The statement noted: “A special hiring arrangement allows the so-called ‘ship of state’ to detect, escort, guide and monitor.
“The crew of the Galatea consists of civilians from the Dutch company Fugro, specialized in soil research, among other things. The civilian crew may be supplemented with military personnel from the navy. This varies per deployment.
“If necessary, it can be scaled up. The ship can call on ships from the navy or other units.”
The 53-metre Versatile Sea Axe 5209 vessel is equipped with uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) and uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs); its role will be visible deterrence; detecting, monitoring and guiding suspicious vessels; and helping to guard critical undersea infrastructure (CUI) such as internet cables and gas pipelines.
Arnout Damen, CEO of the Damen Shipyards Group, commented: “We are very proud of this alliance with Fugro and the confidence the Ministry of Defence has placed in us for executing this important contract.”
He added: “The Damen way of working means we can deliver a vessel quickly and, with Fugro, we can start work at short notice to monitor and protect the strategic interests of the Netherlands in the North Sea.”
- You can read more details on the Dutch MoD website and the Damen website
