Naval shipbuilder Damen Naval has handed over the new Combat Support Ship (CSS) Den Helder to the Command Materiel and IT organisation (COMMIT).
During a ceremony in Den Helder, the home port of the supply and support vessel, Damen Naval Managing Director Roland Briene and COMMIT Commander Vice Admiral Jan Willem Hartman made the handover official. The CSS marks the first phase in the large-scale fleet renewal programme for the Royal Netherlands Navy.
The Combat Support Ship is of vital importance to the Royal Netherlands Navy’s permanent support and supply capacity, as well as that of its NATO partners. This innovative vessel is deployable worldwide and can provide ships at sea with fuel, food, water, ammunition, and other goods.
With a sense of pride, Damen Naval’s Managing Director Roland Briene said:
“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.”
Damen Naval Project Director Arjan Risseeuw adds:
“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. It has been a wonderful period of shipbuilding in Vlissingen, which certainly leaves us wanting more.”
Cooperation between Damen Naval and the Ministry of Defence is now running at full speed. As a strategic partner, Damen Naval is working closely with the Ministry on current and future projects, strengthening the naval construction sector.
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.
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.
Later this year, the ship will be formally transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy and, upon entering service, will receive the royal designation: HNLMS Den Helder.
