Bron: MilitaryLeak
Just over six months since the keel-laying of the Royal Netherlands Navy’s Combat Support Ship (CSS) at its yard in Galati, Romania, and Damen Naval is pleased to report that construction of the 179-metre long vessel is on track. Damen’s design for the CSS consists of a total of 178 different sections.
The construction drawings of 116 sections have been finalized, 80 sections have already been fabricated at the yard, and 22 are currently under construction, together representing a total amount of cut steel of 6,600 tonnes. The construction of the sections is taking place at the same time as the installation of some equipment. This equipment includes small items – for example, more than 8,400 pieces of pipework have been fitted into the finished sections – as well as larger items. In fact, last month saw the placing of the heaviest items of equipment: four Wärtsilä 31 diesel generators. The selection of this generator by Damen Naval and the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) was based on the ambition to ensure that the CSS is as efficient as possible in terms of fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.
After the so-called D-letter announcing the procurement decision for the Combat Support Ship was submitted to the Dutch Parliament in December 2019, the construction contract was signed with Damen on February 19th, 2020. Engineering of the vessel takes place mostly in the Netherlands and a large number of components will be delivered by Dutch suppliers.The CSS is built by Damen in Romania, after which the ship’s final components and the combat management system will be installed in Den Helder. On December 2nd, 2020, first steel was cut, marking an important milestone, the first tangible part of the construction of the CSS. The next milestone will be in May 2021, when the keel-laying ceremony will take place. Completion is scheduled for the second quarter of 2024. A year later, in the second quarter of 2025, the Combat Support Ship must be operable.