Last Thursday, Damen Shipyards Gorinchem hosted the Damen group’s third annual Workboat Festival. The event brought together over 200 customers, media and industry partners, and 34 workboats, for an afternoon of presentations, demonstrations, product displays and interactive exhibits.
The workboats ranged in size from ten-metre Stan Launches and Stan Tugs up to a 72-metre Stan Pontoon. In between were Fast Crew Suppliers, Stan Pilots, Stan Patrols, additional Stan Launches and Tugs, plus an Interceptor and a RHIB. All were available for onboard inspections and some took guests out on to the water for demonstrations, including the high-speed craft.
A number of Damen suppliers were also present, covering specialist sectors including engines and other machinery, electrical integration and automation, and propulsion. Representatives from Alewijnse, Alphatron, DBR, Emigreen, MTU, Pon, Radio Holland, Reintjes, Rolls Royce, RotorTug, Schottel, Veth and Volvo were all manning stands and happy to discuss their products and services. Other attractions included a reversed sailing challenge arranged by André de Bie.
Networking drinks got underway at 17:00, hosted by one of the Netherlands’ leading chefs, Herman den Blijker, with dancing later on for the more intrepid.
After the event Mijndert Wiesenekker, Sales Director Benelux, said, “I am very happy that the third Workboat Festival had again more visitors than the previous event and that many customers from abroad took the opportunity to meet us, learn about the latest developments, and experience a range of Damen-built vessels first hand.”
Wouter Lokker of Damen supplier Alphatron Marine also added, “It was a useful and dynamic event with many relevant players from our field. At Alphatron Marine we took the opportunity to present our ProLine total wheelhouse package. Our compliments for the organisation to Damen Shipyards Gorinchem. We will definitely be back next year!”
