Damen delivers new combat support ship to Dutch MoD

The RNLN's new combat support ship, Den Helder, enters its home port of Den Helder for the first time on 24 March. (Damen)

Damen Naval has delivered the Royal Netherlands Navy's (RNLN's) new combat support ship (CSS), Den Helder (A 834), to the Dutch Ministry of Defence's Materiel and IT Command (COMMIT), the shipbuilder confirmed on 25 March.

The new CSS was officially handed over during a ceremony in Den Helder, which will be the new home port for the supply and support vessel, on 24 March.

Following its delivery, the ship will now continue final outfitting under the responsibility of the Directorate of Materiel Sustainment (DMI) and Joint IV Command (JIVC). Work will involve fitting out and integrating the ship's military equipment, including sensors, weapons, and communication systems.

Under current planning, the CSS will be commissioned into service on 1 October. This will be followed by an intensive training programme, with a view to the ship being ready to conduct its first operational deployment in mid-2026.

In service , Den Helder will replace the RNLN's former supply ship Amsterdam, which was decommissioned in 2014. It is designed to be deployable worldwide and can operate under high-threat conditions, protected by frigates.

Den Helder was built by Damen Naval at its yard in Galati, Romania, under a contract awarded in February 2020. The ship departed the Galati shipyard on 16 November 2024 to conduct its first sea trials while transiting to the Netherlands, where it has been undergoing final outfitting at Damen Naval's facilities in Vlissingen-Oost since mid-December.