Fugro and Damen team to charter maritime security and surveillance vessel to Dutch navy

The vessel that will perform the charter is a Damen FCS 5009 featuring Sea Axe bow designed to reduce vertical acceleration. (Damen)

Geodata-specialist Fugro and Dutch shipbuilder Damen have joined forces to charter an offshore patrol vessel (OPV) and operating crew to the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) to strengthen the protection of vital infrastructure within the Netherlands' North Sea exclusive economic zone.

Under a contract awarded by the Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) and announced by Damen on 17 April, the two companies will charter the vessel to the RNLN for an initial period of two years, with an option to extend twice annually for a total of four years.

The OPV, which will operate unmanned systems, will enable the RNLN to monitor vessel activities in the North Sea and survey critical undersea infrastructure (CUI) such as submarine internet and power cables, and pipelines for oil and gas.

Fugro and Damen formed a joint venture to deliver the vessel and crew for the two-year charter, which is expected to start during the first half of 2025.

The vessel to be supplied is a Damen Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 5009, which features its patented Sea Axe bow for improved seakeeping performance and fuel efficiency and a 240 m² deck area.

The FCS 5009 has an overall length of 53.25 m, a top speed of 24 kt, and a range of 3,100 n miles. It can carry a crew complement of up to eight in addition to up to 80 personnel.

This project has been funded by the North Sea Infrastructure Protection Program (PBNI) co-ordinated by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.