Damen yard celebrates 70th anniversary

Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf has celebrated its 70th anniversary, marking a successful seven decades in the repair, maintenance, conversion and refit of both inland waterway and seagoing vessels.

Just north of Amsterdam and part of the Damen Shipyards Group since 1989, the shipyard is conveniently located for both markets, close to both the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal and the North Sea Canal.

Recently, the inland cruise sector has become increasingly important for the shipyard. As the sector has grown and Amsterdam continues to appeal as a destination on itineraries, at least 25 to 30 inland cruise vessels are now handled annually by the yard for different types of docking. Speed of turnaround is always a top priority and some dockings can now be completed in less than six hours. More lengthy repairs can be undertaken during the off-peak season. The yard is also active in the offshore, dredging and general cargo sectors. It has one drydock with a capacity of 6,000 tonnes and one 1,500-tonne slipway. Typically, these are occupied 95% of the time.