Waddensea ferries migrate to Damen Shiprepair Harlingen for annual maintenance
The Wadden (West Frisian) islands in the North Sea are one of the Netherlands’ top tourist destinations. The ferries that serve them operate 365 days a year, making multiple crossings each day across the Waddensea. For more than two decades, each year in January and February two of the main ferry companies, Wagenborg Passagiersdiensten and Rederij Doeksen, have taken advantage of the quiet period to send their RoPax vessels in relays to Damen Shiprepair Harlingen (DSHl) for maintenance and repair.
Multiple dockings
In January/February 2019, eight vessels from the two companies, ranging up to 75-metres in length, visited DSHl for periods of up to three weeks. This year the works were mostly exterior, involving, amongst other things, high-pressure cleaning and painting, though interior maintenance including the servicing of some engines and propulsion systems also took place. Selective refurbishment of the public areas also occurred on some of the ferries. In some years the works are more substantial and can include projects such as vessel lengthening.
DSHl is ideally situated for ferries and other vessels operating in or passing through the Waddensea and is the closest for these ferries’ particular routes. Ferries operate to the strictest timetables set many months in advance – in this case contractually with the Dutch Government – so unscheduled downtime is simply not an option.
Rising demand
With the islands becoming ever more attractive as tourist destinations, the numbers of visitors is growing and the off season is shrinking in length, putting even greater pressure on the vessels. For DSHl this means that almost every hour counts when it comes to maintenance. Only the most detailed planning and precise project management allows the yard to achieve such challenging goals and so support its customers in their own battle to deliver the transport services on which so many people depend.
DAMEN SHIPREPAIR HARLINGEN
Read moreDamen Shiprepair Harlingen is located in the northern part of the Netherlands, in the city of Harlingen. It is easily accessible through the Wadden Sea without any obstructions such as locks, bridges or tidal restrictions, up to a guaranteed draft of 7.5 meters.
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