On 11 July 2019 Damen Shipyards Den Helder signed a midlife upkeep (MLU) contract with the Netherlands Ministry of Defence.

With this contract, support ship HNLMS Pelikaan, along with hydrographic survey vessels HNLMS Snellius and HNLMS Luymes, all of the Royal Netherlands Navy, are heading to Damen Shipyards Den Helder for an extensive maintenance and modernisation programme.

The scope of work that the Damen yard will perform will include equipping the vessels with new hull plating, renewal of radars and communications equipment and maintenance the ship’s systems, along with regular maintenance.

The Royal Netherlands Navy uses the hydrographic survey vessels to chart the sea bottom. The Hydrographic Service uses this information, amongst other things, to produce nautical charts and other navigational publications. Damen will replace all the vessels’ underwater sensors to enable the vessels to perform their tasks efficiently in the coming years.

In its implementation and provision of engineering for this project, Damen is support by around 30 renowned Dutch suppliers and sub-contractors.  Damen will begin work on the project later this year and expect to complete it in 2021. Work will be distributed between Damen Shipyards Den Helder and Damen Shiprepair Harlingen.

HNLMS Pelikaan is the logistic support ship of the Royal Netherlands Navy in the Caribbean. She is used for transportation and emergency assistance, playing a role, for example, after Hurricane Irma in 2017. This will be the first time the vessel returns to the Netherlands since her commissioning in 2006.