The Damen Group is a Dutch defence, shipbuilding, and engineering

conglomerate company A conglomerate () is a multi-industry company – i.e., a combination of multiple business entities operating in entirely different industries under one corporate group, usually involving a parent company and many subsidiaries. Conglomerates ...

based in Gorinchem, Netherlands. Though it is a major international group doing business in 120 countries, it remains a private family-owned company. Damen Shipyards Group is a globally operating company with more than 50 shipyards, repair yards, and related companies − as well as numerous partner yards that can build Damen vessels locally. Since 1969 it has designed and built more than 5,000 vessels and delivers over 150 vessels annually. With over 30 shipyards and related companies worldwide, Damen is involved in ship construction as well as maintenance and repair activities. It has a wide product range, including

tugs A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

, workboats, patrol craft, cargo vessels,

dredge Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

rs, superyachts and fast ferries. Product design and engineering are carried out in-house and a broad range of designs are available.

History

Overview

Damen was established in 1927 in the town of Hardinxveld-Giessendam in the Netherlands by Jan and Marinus Damen. The two brothers ran a successful, mainly Dutch-oriented, shipyard for decades. Over the years they managed to build up a small, but loyal customer-base. Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld, located about 10 km from the Damen Group headquarters in Gorinchem, still exists today. It is specialised in designing and building workboats, especially 'multi cats' and shoalbusters. In 1969 Jan Damen's son, Kommer Damen, took over. In addition to building reliable vessels at an affordable price, Kommer Damen had a revolutionary idea: the standardisation and series production of workboats. To make this vision become reality he needed the support of several key suppliers and clients, most of which still maintain a close relationship with Damen today.

World Bank Debarment

On March 16, 2016, the World Bank Group announced its

debarment Debarment is the state of being excluded from enjoying certain possessions, rights, privileges, or practices and the act of prevention by legal means. For example, companies can be debarred from contracts due to allegations of fraud, mismanagement ...

of Damen Shipyards Gorinchem for 18 months. As stated in a press release on the World Bank official website : ''"The company engaged in a fraudulent practice under the West Africa Regional Fisheries Program"'' The sanction follows an agreement between the World Bank and Damen Shipyards Gorinchem hence a reduced debarment of 18 months, as stated : ''"Damen has cooperated with the World Bank’s investigation and has taken remedial action, including strengthening its corporate compliance program"''

Statistics

Key figures and statistics for Damen Shipyards Group in/as of 2015 include: Annual turnover: 2.1 billion Euro Damen Shipyard Group: 32 yards worldwide * The Netherlands: 14 * Abroad: 18 Employees: 9,000 worldwide * The Netherlands: 3,000 * International: 6,000 Annual deliveries 2015: 180 * Tugs / Workboats: 82 * Offshore Vessels: 8 * High Speed Craft & Ferries: 62 * Pontoons & Barges: 10 * Dredging & Specials: 15 * Naval & Yachts: 5 * Stock hulls: >200 Total number of deliveries since 1969: * 6,000 ships Key Figures Damen Shiprepair & Conversion 2015 Annual turnover (2015) : 500 million EUR Damen Shiprepair & Conversion: 15 yards in 6 countries * 40 dry docks * Largest dock 420 x 80 m Employees: 1,500 * Delivered projects (2015): >1,500 repair, maintenance, refit and conversion projects

Divisions

* Damen Shipyards Gorinchem — in Gorinchem, an independent member of the Damen Shipyards Group. * Royal Schelde; Warship division. * Amels Division; Superyacht division, based in Vlissingen and part of Damen Group since 1991.

Products

Warships

Corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...

s () *

Frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

s (, , ) * Patrol boats (, Damen Stan patrol vessel) * Amphibious transport docks () * Joint Support Ship ( Karel Doorman class)

Freighters

* Container ships (Damen Container Feeder) *

Tankers Tanker may refer to: Transportation * Tanker, a tank crewman (US) * Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids ** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk ** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanke ...

(Damen Tanker) * Heavy-lift ship (Damen HLV) *

Cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

(Damen Combi Freighter and Combi Coaster)

Passenger ships

Catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...

s * Ropax ferries — & MV ''Legionnaire'' (2015–2016)

Superyachts

* (1986) * (1988) * (2016)

Customers

US Coast Guard

The US Coast Guard Sentinel-class

Fast Response Cutter (FRC-B) The Sentinel-class cutter, also known as Fast Response Cutter due to its program name, is part of the United States Coast Guard's Deepwater program. At it is similar to, but larger than the lengthened 1980s-era s that it replaces. Up to 58 ves ...

long, and capable of speeds of over is based on the Damen 4708 design, and will be built by the

Bollinger Shipyards Bollinger Shipyards is an American constructor of ships, workboats and patrol vessels. Its thirteen shipyards and forty drydocks are located in Louisiana and Texas. Its drydocks range in capacity from vessels of 100 tons displacement to 22,000 to ...

of Lockport, Louisiana. The firm fixed-price contract for the first ship is worth €88m (

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

120m); the approximate maximum value of the contract, if all options are exercised for a total of 34 patrol boats, is €1.5 billion ($2 billion) over a period of between six and eight years.

Canadian Coast Guard

On September 2, 2009, the

Ministry of Public Works and Government Services of Canada Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC; french: Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada)''Public Services and Procurement Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Public Works ...

announced that nine

mid-shore patrol ships The Hero-class patrol vessels, previously the Mid-Shore Patrol Vessel Project, is a series of nine patrol vessels constructed by Halifax Shipyards for the Canadian Coast Guard. Based on the Dutch Damen Stan 4207 patrol vessel, construction bega ...

based on a 'Canadianized' version of the Damen

Stan Patrol 4207 The Dutch shipbuilding firm The Damen Group, designs and manufactures a range of patrol vessels, of various sizes, including the Damen Stan 4207 Patrol Vessels. The Damen Stan patrol vessel designs' names include a four digit code, where the fir ...

would be built by Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax, Nova Scotia for use by the Canadian Coast Guard in conjunction with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans had originally wanted twelve patrol craft.

Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Coast Guard

On October 27, 2005, the

JDF Coast Guard The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) is the combined military of Jamaica, consisting of an infantry Regiment and Reserve Corps, an Air Wing, a Coast Guard fleet and a supporting Engineering Unit. The JDF is based upon the British military model, with ...

commissioned HMJS ''Cornwall'', the first of three Damen 4207 vessels (termed County class by the JDFCG). The second County-class vessel, HMJS ''Middlesex'', was commissioned on April 7, 2006. The third and final vessel, HMJS ''Surrey'', was commissioned on June 26, 2007. The vessels are dubbed County class as they are named after the three counties of Jamaica. On June 25, 2020, the

commissioned HMJS ''Nanny of the Maroons'', a Damen FCS 5009 Cutter. The vessel is named after the Jamaican National Hero Nanny of the Maroons.

Hong Kong Marine Police

The Marine Region of the Hong Kong Police Force is having Stan 2600 patrol boats built by Damen. Damen Mk I boats were used in Hong Kong and now retired after

Keka-class patrol boat The Keka-class patrol boats are vessels designed by ASC Pty. Ltd. (formerly named Australian Submarine Corporation) originally for the Royal Thai Navy (3 vessels). A second variant series was designed for the Hong Kong Marine Police (6 vessels). ...

s were delivered.

Ecuadorian Coast Guard

In November 2011 the

Ecuadorian Coast Guard Ecuadorians ( es, ecuatorianos) are people identified with the South American country of Ecuador. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Ecuadorians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collect ...

ordered

Damen Stan 2606 The Damen Stan 2600 is a line of patrol vessels built or designed by Netherlands shipbuilding firm the Damen Group. The first vessels of this design were delivered to the Hong Kong Police. The United States Coast Guard Marine Protector class ...

patrol vessels, to be built in Ecuador by Astinave.

Vietnam Coast Guard

Damen Group has already delivered some

Damen Stan 4207 patrol vessel The Dutch shipbuilding firm The Damen Group, designs and manufactures a range of patrol vessels, of various sizes, including the Damen Stan 4207 Patrol Vessels. The Damen Stan patrol vessel designs' names include a four digit code, where the firs ...

s for

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

missions. The

Vietnam Coast Guard Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG, ; formerly Vietnam Marine Police (VMP) prior to October 2013) is the coast guard of Vietnam. Until 2013, it was a branch of Vietnam's military, the Vietnam People's Army, and falls under the management of the Vietname ...

also cooperated with Damen Group to build large vessels with Dutch license, such as one offshore patrol vessel 9014, one hydrographic survey vessel 6613, four salvage tugs 6412. These vessels will be built in Vietnam by the Song Thu company.

Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard

Damen Group has already delivered 3 of 12 vessels purchased by the

Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) is the military organization responsible for the defence of the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It consists of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, the Tr ...

. A coastal patrol vessel (CPV) CG 25, interceptor (vessel) and supply vessels were delivered in July to strengthen border security and stop the illegal flow of guns, ammunition and drugs into the country.

Group Companies

Damen is a large group. Some of the group companies are: * Amels * Damen Dredging Equipment * Damen Marine Services * Damen Schelde Marine Services * Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding * Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam * Damen Shiprepair Brest * Damen Shiprepair Curaçao * Damen Shiprepair Harlingen * Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam * Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen * Damen Shipyards Bergum * Damen Shipyards Cape Town * Damen Shipyards Den Helder * Damen Shipyards Galați * Damen Shipyards Gorinchem * Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld * Damen Shipyards Koźle * Damen Shipyards Singapore * Damen Trading * Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellen * Damen Shipyards Antalya * Damen Shipyards Turkey * Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf *

Damen Verolme Rotterdam Damen Verolme Rotterdam, is a repair shipyard in Rotterdam, Netherlands. History Foundation The company was founded in 1957 by Cornelis Verolme as Verolme Dok en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij (VDSM). In 1955 Verolme owned Verolme Verenigde Sche ...

Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ) is a Qatar-based shipyard established in 2010 in a joint venture between Nakilat and Damen Group. Overview NDSQ was established in November 2010 with its base of operations situated at the 15-hectare shipyard E ...

* Damen Engineering Gdansk

References

External links

*
Amels
super yachts
Damen locations and yards worldwide

Damen Magazine
{{Authority control Defence companies of the Netherlands Multinational companies headquartered in the Netherlands Gorinchem Hardinxveld-Giessendam Manufacturing companies established in 1927 Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1927 Dutch brands Dutch companies established in 1927 Shipbuilding companies of the Netherlands