Naval work for Alewijnse

The 65.4 metre HNLMS Pelikaan is currently at the Parera naval base in Willemstad, Curaçao, in the Netherlands Antilles and will remain there for the works until April 2017.

Alewijnse has been contracted to deliver project management services and to prepare, install and commission all the new electrical systems and associated cabling on the external decks of the vessel. This includes the navigation equipment, electrical facilities and lighting. Alewijnse says these systems will be replaced in such a way as to reduce the future wear and tear caused by weather conditions.

Alewijnse was contracted by Royal Netherlands Navy after a tender process. Alewijnse Service Coordinator Perry Eikelenboom commented: “We are very pleased with the confidence that the Royal Netherlands Navy is showing in our company. Alewijnse designed and installed the original electrical systems on the vessel when she was built and eleven years later we have been invited back to take care of the systems upgrade.”
Alewijnse and the Royal Netherlands Navy have worked together successfully for many years on various naval vessels, including the Joint Support Ship (JSS) HNLMS Karel Doorman, the Holland-Class Oceangoing Patrol Vessels and the amphibious transport ships HNLMS Johan de Witt and HNLMS Rotterdam. As reported in Maritime Journal in Maritime Journal in January 2017, at the end of 2016, Alewijnse opened a new service and maintenance facility in Den Helder in the Netherlands. This allows it to deliver its expertise in all types of electrical systems more quickly and efficiently to naval and commercial vessels at the Dutch Royal Naval dockyard and Damen Shipyards Den Helder.

HNLMS Pelikaan was launched in 2006 in Galati, Romania, at the yard where Alewijnse maintains a dedicated office. There it designs and builds electrical systems primarily for new vessels. In addition to Romania, the company has offices in the Netherlands, Vietnam, China, Qatar, Turkey and France.

HNLMS Pelikaan sailed into Willemstad for the first time on 11 September 2006. Her arrival was enthusiastically welcomed by the local population, in recognition of her important role in maintaining security and delivering emergency aid in the Caribbean. The ship primarily supports operations and training conducted by the Dutch Ministry of Defence unit in the Caribbean, and also delivers aid and humanitarian assistance following hurricanes and other natural catastrophes. Most recently, she assisted in relief operations for Haiti following the passage of Hurricane Matthew in October 2016.

By Jake Frith