Dutch Ambassador Visits Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque

Dutch Ambassador to France, Pieter de Gooijer, was given a tour recently of the Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque (DSDu).

According to DSDu, his visit was to show support for the yard and find out more about its operations and its plans for the future.

The Ambassador was accompanied by Michael Pistecky, Conseiller Affaires Commerciales et d’investissement at the Dutch Embassy, and Mark Jan van den Akker, Managing Director of DSDu.

As they toured the yard, Mark Jan van den Akker explained that the yard is continuing to build on its core business of ship repair and conversion but also has ambition to moving into the assembly of typical Damen vessels for the French market like tugs and crew transport vessels.

The site visit also included a presentation followed by a tour of Europe’s first dredger to be converted to hybrid propulsion using LNG as the primary fuel.

The 8.500m³ trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) Samuel de Champlain, which is being converted from diesel-electric propulsion burning MGO to dual-fuel capability combining LNG and MGO, is due for redelivery to her owner the French EIG Dragages-Ports in just eight days.

After the redelivery, the hopper dredger Samuel de Champlain will return to her regular duties of dredging the Loire and Seine rivers.